If you go down to the woods today, you better not go alone
by tanithcooper
Summary: Cornered in the forest, Kili finds himself face to face with an Elvish King. For Kili, not accepting Bofur's offer for an escort was just one stupid move in a great line of many before and after this monumental disaster. For Thranduil however, this is an amazing opportunity...
1. It's dangerous to go alone

"Iston i nîf gîn". Thranduil lowered his bow slowly, narrowing his eyes as he tried to place the young Dwarf's features. "Have we met before?"

Kili stepped back away from the Elf, only to find himself backing straight into an inconvenient tree, cursing himself for not taking up Bofur's offer for an escort back from the Iron mountains. "I.. uh maybe?" he suggested lamely, keeping his eyes trained on the arrow that was pointed at him only seconds ago. How did he always seem to get himself into these stupid situations?

Following the dwarf's eyes, Thranduil saw a strong defiance, a determination that set itself upon his weapon... or so he liked to think. The dwarf was as prepared weapon-wise as he was, with the uptight demeanor of royalty circling him. With thick, dark hair and the physique of a warrior, the Dwarf was a Durin. And this... this the Elven King found to be absolutely and irresistibly delectable. "Ah, yes…" He began, straightening his back and tilting his head slightly to the side. "You remind me of a young Dwarf-Prince I became acquainted with some decades ago."

Kili flicked his eyes up to look up at the elf. "You're Thranduil, the one that betrayed Uncle when Smaug the Terrible attacked." He stuttered, preparing himself for imminent death by the hands of the Elf that left Erebor to fend for itself all those years ago. Kili looked at the Elf, taking in the frankly ridiculous crown and his rather long hair that seemed to be a running trait with Elves. He shivered under the man's cold gaze, feeling smaller than usual while he was pierced with shocking blue eyes. Finally deciding he should say something relativity threatening, he straightened up to his full height. "Go to Mordor." He spat. _Well done Kili_, he thought,_ insult someone who has an arrow knocked and pointed at your general vicinity. You **really** thought this one through._

Thranduil started to chuckle, relishing in the young Dwarf's fear. He was merely on a hunt, getting bored with life in his palace. Legolas was on a trip to Rivendell and he had nothing really to attend to. He had time for games, especially with Dwarflings. Maintaining his indifferent facade, he put away his bow and quirked an eyebrow. "Do you fear me, young Fíli?" He asked, intentionally mistaking him for his brother to get a reaction out of the short figure.

"It's Kili. If you're going to kill me, at least get my name right." He answered, narrowing his eyes. He knew the kind of games Elves play and had no intention of being a part of them. Elves were evil, that's what he'd always been told. But this one had lowered his weapon... "I have no reason why I should fear you, I have met rabbits more fearsome." _Why did I say that? It's over for me now_, he thought woefully, _and I'm not even going to go on a single quest. Great._

"Oh, little one." He began as a chuckle escaped his lips. "A rabbit can be fairly fearsome, if someone provokes it. You have intruded upon my forest, insulted my kind, and wished me to the most godforsaken place in Middle Earth. But I am not going to kill you, no. In fact, quite the opposite. Come with me to my palace home. I wish only to ensure your safety." He finished, delighting in the thought of Thorin's expression if he found out that his youngest nephew fell into his hands.

"You have to be joking," Kili laughed. "You're kidding yourself if you think I'm going anywhere with you," He said as edged slowly sideways. They were so close to the edge of the forest that all he needed to do was get past a few trees and he'd be home free. "I'm not really sorry to tell you this, but I honestly don't trust you at all, Elven King. Runs in the family I suppose." He said, edging backwards slowly.

Trying to contain his laughter, Thranduil wrapped his hand around the escaping Durin's wrist. "I insist, Kili. There is no reason for you not to trust me. The decision I made that day as I looked down upon Erebor was not out of spite, but of fear for my own kin. Have you not looked at it through a king's point of view?" He inquired as his humour started to fade. _Why do Dwarves always have bring that up?_ He thought._ That was one time!_

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me all about it." Kili sighed. There wasn't any way he was getting out of this situation any time soon, not with his smart mouth and especially with Thranduil's hand wrapped around his arm in a death grip. He tried to twist his arm sharply to the left to see if his grip would hold, which it did, annoyingly for him. He couldn't kill the blasted Elf without it backfireing miserably on him as always, so Kili let his arm go slack in the Elf's grip, Waiting upon the King's story.

"I haven't a lot to say." Thranduil said boldly before sighing. "All I ask of you is to not have the same quarrel with me that your uncle does. He is a stubborn man, much too majestic for his own good. I wish for you to heed my words as well as his."

Kili thought on this for a moment before nodding once. What if the Elf's story was true? There was always two parts of the story, at least that's what Fíli taught him. "Fine. But my statement still stands. I am not going with you." He stated before trying once more to remove his wrist from Thranduil's grip, muttering curses loudly in khuzdul.

Staring at the young man silently, Thranduil contemplated on how he would manage to manipulate him. Protection from the dangers of the forest? No, he would be... He is too bigoted to lack any belief in his stunningly clumsy self-defense abilities. He could always tell him that Mithrandir sent him to the Dwarf, and with the Elves is where he should lay? Not at all, Gandalf believed that Kili was already safely returned to the Lonely Mountain. He urged his brain to think, all the while studying the Dwarf-Prince intently. After a moment, it hit him. "Did I mention there would be food?"

Flicking his eyes up from their focus on where he was trying to dislodge his arm, Kili weighed up his (very limited) options. "What kind of food exactly? There's none of that green stuff they serve in Rivendell, is there?" He asked. Watching the Elvish King shake his head slowly, Kili decided on one of he most obvious, yet stupid, answers there. Go with the tree hugger and escape if the need arises. "Well when you put it like that, I suppose I could say for a day two."

Thranduil shook his head and smiled slightly. The way to a Dwarf's heart, he noted, was always food. "I must admit that I am slightly offended by you. You think us the same as the Pansies of Imladris? Elrond eats only vegetables for his infinite forehead to grow in length. He believes it is a sign of power. No, us Mirkwood Elves eat plenty of meat, and I will show you some good wine during your stay, mark my words. You will return home in pining." With a quick gesture of his hand, the elf beckoned Kili to follow him, hoping the dwarf could maintain his speed without falling out of breath.

"Wine? I prefer Ale, but if that's all you have, I shall have to have some." Kili said loudly, falllng just behind the King's steps, practically jogging to keep up with him and keep his arm in it's socket after being dragged by the wrist across the forest of Mirkwood.

Oh, I assure you that once you have tasted the wines of Dorwinion you'll forget your peasant drinks completely. Although if that is what you are accustomed to, I'm pretty sure I still have some mead in the cellar. Try to keep up." Thranduil smirked, squeezing his grip suddenly before letting go sharply and slowed his paces so the Dwarf prince could keep up with him, with sheer certainty that he would follow. Sure enough, Kili didn't disappoint.

-oOo-

Author's note:

Iston i nîf gîn - I know your face.

So... What did you think? This probably wasn't the best time to start a multichapter fic as we're so close to vital exams, but we will try and update this as regularly as we can.

Tanith and Tam


	2. Battles and Orcs and Wargs, Oh my!

Kili ran on after Thranduil as he sped through the forest. "Short…. Legs… SLOW DOWN!" He shouted after the Elven king. "Food or no food, if you do not slow down, I'm not coming with you." He groaned, doubling over to nurse a stitch. Bloody inconsiderate long legged Elves.

"This is not a regular pace for you?" He smirked deviously, speeding up slightly as if to test the Dwarf. "This is but a snail's walk for me."

Kili scowled, swearing in Iglisgmek in Thranduil's general direction. "If you didn't walk so fast," He said while still furiously signing in massive gestures, "I would be able to keep up, I wouldn't get lost and you would actually be, Aulë forbid, considerate of smaller Dwarves!"

"Aulë forbid it indeed." The Elven king muttered under his breath. Halting in his tracks and turning to face Kíli, he chuckled to himself slightly. "I'd offer to carry you, would your stubbornness not burden me further. I assure you there is no need to slow down. You will be perfectl-" He stopped.

"Care to finish that sentence?" he asked politely, slowing down his obscene gestures as he was running out of Iglisgmek to use, and his creativity was running out, making his insults rather pathetic. "And if you dare to carry me, all hell WILL break loose." He warned, straightening his back to glare at the elf.

Thranduil's playful expression faded slowly, gradually, and he looked Kíli dead in the eyes. Without much word or warning, he raised his bow and yanked back the quiver, aiming it in Kíli's direction. "Get behind me." He commanded sternly.

Kili stood still as he looked up at the arrow once more pointed at his chest. _Oh great. not again_. "What? why?" Kili asked, slowly walking towards Thranduil. "Do I want to know?" He asked slowly as he got closer.

"Get. Behind. Me. Now. Unless you want a pack of rabid Orcs atop Wargs to rip you to shreds, get behind me." and Thranduil strained his ears to the distant sound of trampling.

Kili span around, drawing his sword. "There's.. There's nothing there." _Oh good. You're in the middle of nowhere with a insane Elf of all things. How could this get any better?_ "You sure they're out there?" He asked, walking backwards.

"Shh…they're nearing." Thranduil whispered softly. His once gentle blue eyes had become fierce and striking, and were fixed on a clearing, and his expression was stern.

Kili sheathed his sword and drew his bow. He knocked an arrow and waited until he could see the Orcs nearing before drawing it. He narrowed he eyes and strained his hearing to listen out for the Orcs.

An arduous, tense moment passed before the horrific war squeals rang through the air, and the ferocious growls of the Wargs. One arrow, two arrow, and a third. Three Orcs were down within a blink of Kili's eye.

_Oh come on_, Kili thought watching three Orcs fall off their Wargs in quick succession,_ I've heard that elves were fast at shooting but that's ridiculous_. "Oii! Leave some for me!" He shouted over the cries of the Orcs coming quite quickly towards them, knocking an arrow and shooting down another Orc.

"You can have the Wargs!" Thranduil yelled, throwing himself into the heat of battle. He unsheathed his dagger and slashed at any Orc flesh he could get near.

_Oh thanks. I can have the psychotic balls of fluff that are twice the size of me? Great, you're brilliant Thranduil. If the Orcs don't get you first, I'll kill you myself_, kili thought, bringing down a Warg which collapsed on another Orc before he let off another lot of arrows in quick succession.

Thranduil chuckled to himself as the arrows that they young dwarf had thought 'successful' bounced off a nearby tree trunk, and took down the victims he had aimed at so as not to discredit his pride.

Kili had lost his patience and unsheathed his sword before running into the battle. Managing to quickly kill two Wargs and a rider (one suspiciously had an arrow sticking out of it, but he chose to ignore that fact), the skirmish seemed to be almost over with remaining Wargs and Orcs running back off into the distance, but only getting so far before getting an arrow sticking out of their back.

Thranduil sheathed his dagger and straightened his back, eyeing up the young one suspiciously. "You fought well." He began, fixing his silken locks briefly. "I'd say we've earned ourselves a drink."

Kili quirked an eyebrow at the elf 's expression, but let it drop. Perhaps there would be time to bring it up later, but not now. Kili sheathed his sword and walked back over to Thranduil. "As long as it's not that foul smelling water from the river. There's people who say that it's enchanted." He smirked, collecting arrows on the way to the elf.

An amused smile graced the Elven king's face, with an element of mischief. "Oh yes," He started casually, squeezing Kili's shoulder lightly. "It turns you into a tree."

Kili laughed at this and walked away from the elf and the carnage to sit down on a fallen tree-trunk. "Is it an inconvenient tree?" He joked, thinking back to only a few hours pior, when he got backed into a tree by Thranduil. "I don't think it would be that bad to be a tree, as long as I was an Ent" he hummed, managing to balance himself on the trunk and lay down. He turned his head towards Thranduil and smirked. Now kili, time to shine! He thought. "So, where are you going to get this drink from, o king? I see no bags." Finally, you've said something rational and useful. This might just work in your favour..

Thranduil smirked and leaned against a tree, and removed his extravagant crown. His distinguished brow was raised slightly. "Ents…are not trees. They're tree herders. They watch over the trees of the forest and make sure no harm befalls them." His delicate smirk faded and his eyes dropped to the floor. He looked perfect now, flawless, like a marble sculpture, or a ghost of the past.

Kili watched as Thranduil removed the ridiculous crown that he seemed to insist on wearing. "If you want to be technical about it." Kili huffed before muttering "still trees." Under his breath. Thranduil was, for an elf, rather spectacular even though he wouldn't admit it aloud. He admired his pale skin, his chiseled features and his long silver hair which he would just love to sit and braid… NO KILI.

After a light intake of breath, the Elven king shook himself of his trance and looked at Kili apologetically. "I - I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. Ents are few and far between these days. It doesn't help the safety of my forest, my…kingdom." He was silent for a moment, feeling a sense of fear seize him.

Kili raised an eyebrow and sat up to look at the elf better. "It's fine. I think your kingdom will be safe, especially with you protecting it. I mean look around, over three quarters of the dead here were killed by your hand. I'd bring an army of Dwarves to your aid if you needed it.. Though it will probably be small unless I could convince uncle…" He trailed off, resting his head in one of his hands, looking over at Thranduil.

"My, how your tone has changed." Thranduil chuckled, bending down to the sprawled out body of an Orc and caressing it's hideously disfigured face sympathetically. "Poor, mindless creatures. Born to kill, they are easy to kill. It is almost mechanical. Not clever beings." Running his elegant white hands down the beast's tattered clothes to it's sleeve, he tore a strip from it, and began to fasten his thick, lustrous hair with it. Noting the look of disturbed horror on the dwarf's face, his smile returned. "It was in my face."

"Yes, well, you might be alright. You offered food, I accepted.. Kind of. I thought I might as well go along with it. Plus, your borders are next to Erebor's. Your problem gets out, it comes for us." He explained, watching the taller being walk towards an Orc. He screwed up his face in disgust as the Elf tied his hair back with a piece of cloth. "That is disgusting, and I've lived on the road for months on end. Even I know that's disgusting."

"If needs be." The Elf shrugged. "I'm 10,000 years old. I've seen enough disgusting things in my time to make your brain implode." And he tossed his crown into a nearby tree

Kili watched the elf throw the crown away and looked in horror at the king. "Oh please don't tell me you have _more_ of those things?" He groaned before jumping off the log. "So, drinks?" He asked, eyes hopeful.

Thranduil chuckled and shook his head. "I was bored of it. I've had that crown for so long. It's an awful burden. And hideous. Drinks…we will be walking to my palace for drinks."

"But… Oh, never mind. Slow down this time?" He asked, grudgingly walking back over to where Thranduil was stood. He could see that he was going to be running for the next few miles, if not leagues.

"I don't see why I should slow down. We're to arrive on horseback." And as he relished the look of wonder on Kíli's face, the Elven king's wolf whistle echoed through the trees, and a magnificent white stallion appeared.

Kili glared at Thranduil. " You son of a… Why the hell didn't you do that before, instead of making me run a good few miles chasing after you?! You can forget the army to help you, I retract that offer and replace it with a threat that if you even _**think **_about doing that again, I will get Erebor to march on you. Uncle would have no qualms about that!" He yelled, face going bright red as he stood before the way too amused Elf. He turned around and kicked an Orc to get his anger out, repeatedly then walked towards the horse.

"Such rage from such a small creature…I took great pleasure in watching you stumble over your own feet." Thranduil mocked as the Dwarf Prince frantically battered an Orc's body. "That's right, kick a lion when it's down." His grin broadened almost indefinitely as he mounted the horse expertly. "Get on, Little-legs."

"Ozirum menu seleku!" He shouted at Thranduil, kicking another Orc as he walked past it. "Khagun menu reliku pembu rukhas, Menu shirumund, ungrim Elf." He muttered, stopping to the side of the horse and looking up expectantly at him. "And how, you prize fool, do you expect me to get up there?"

"I don't expect you to. It would mainly be further entertainment to watch you attempt it." Thranduil smirked, and then studied the dwarf's rabid expression. Perhaps he had pushed him too far. "Alright." He sighed gently, jumping back off the horse. He seized Kíli by the waist and hoisted him up.

"What.. What are you doing, you don't have to, THRANDUIL PUT ME DOWN!" Kili yelled, grabbing the Elf's arms for dear life as Thranduil picked him up. A simple hand I could step on would have sufficed. Gimli would have to add this to his list of 'no one *insert here* a dwarf' Along with 'No one tosses a Dwarf'. That one was high on Kili's list. And if the Elvish prat tried it, Kili would go all hell for leather on him.

"Oh for the love of Evenstar stop squirming!" Snapped Thranduil, dumping Kíli on the horse and blowing a stray bit of hair from his eyes. The prince was silenced and somewhat intimidated by the sudden burst of anger. "Stubborn bastard. Amin feuya ten' lle!" And with that rise of his voice, the Elf mounted the stallion in front of Kíli and jerked the reins fiercely.

"Gelek menu caragu rukhs" Kili muttered, folding his arms and leaning forward into Thranduil's back, albeit grudgingly. "How long before we reach the Palace?" He asked, keeping an edge to his voice.

Thranduil was startled, by the ease at which the Dwarf lent against his torso, at the warmth and trust he had felt after so many years. Almost instinctively, he wrapped an arm around Kíli firmly. "As long as it God damn takes." He kept the same edge.

"Prat." Kili muttered, grabbing hold of Thranduil's arms after nearly slipping off the horse. How could this day get any worse? Don't think that Kili, you'll get there and the food will be off.

And in that moment, although he wasn't ready to admit it, not even to himself, Thranduil relished in the touch, in the feel of a trusting body leaning back into him. Shaking himself of this uneasy, alien feeling, he urged the horse onward, towards the palace.

-oOo-

Author's note:  
Khudzul said by Kili:  
Ozirum menu seleku - You couldn't forge a spoon (There was a conversation... well RP between Tam and I, talking about how Lobelia Sackville-Baggins stole spoons from Mirkwood, and the spoons that thranduil had to try and make more, but they turned out deformed and awful.)  
Khagun menu reliku pembu rukhas - Your parents populated an orkish village  
Menu shirumund - You Beardless  
Ungrim - Untrustworthy (yes, I know this isn't actually Khudzul but the Dwarven Language from Warhammer, but I couldn't find the word. If anyone could correct me on it, It would be great!)  
Gelek menu caragu rukhs - You smell like orc dung  
Elvish:  
Amin feuya ten' lle - You disgust me

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed this so far, and thank you for the brilliant comments we've had from people. We hope you enjoyed it!

Charlotte Oakenshield - I hope you enjoy

Tanith and Tam


	3. Of Horses and Pissy Dwarves

Kili frowned. he had never liked traveling on a horse, they made him look smaller than necessary. He also didn't know why Thranduil had his arm around him, nor why he was leaning further back into him. He had to stop thinking though, it had been a good fifteen minutes since they had last spoken to each other. "So…" He started slowly.

Jerking the reigns again, Thranduil waited for the wind to blow the repeatedly offending strand of hair from his eyes again and regretted not tying it properly before they left. He could almost be sure Kili had said something, barely a whisper over the scream of the wind past them. "Hmm?"

"I know you're being crabby and everything, with generally ignoring me and being allergic straight answers are at the top of your to do list, but are we nearly there yet?" he asked, looking up at him. _This really was a good angle to admire… KILI, NO._

"I - what?" He shook his head, slightly perplexed. "I lost myself in my thoughts…not ignoring you. And yes, I'll start slowing down now." Before he could command the beast, Thranduil caught Kili's warm brown eyes, briefly. They were so…hypnotic, inviting.

Kili smiled at the sight of the confused elf and brought his head back down to see if he could see Elven palace. If there was one thing Kili wasn't good at, it was being patient.

"And, here we go." Thranduil said, slowing the horse and silently relishing in the dwarf's small smile. He dismounted and began to lead the horse to a small stable with Kíli still on it. "I trust you can find your own way down?"

"Uh.. I think so." _That is a **long** way down_, Kili thought dubiously as the horse was lead to the stable. He flinged a leg over the side of the horse to face Thranduil, and after muttering a brief prayer to Aulë, he jumped.

_And a very well done to you… _Thranduil mused, chuckling as Kíli landed safely and raised his head to make eye contact with the king. "Come," Thranduil beckoned for his companion to follow him through the rickety stables, to a pair of grand and lavish gates."Open." Thranduil commanded sternly to the watch guards. And gradually, they did.

Kili looked up at the gates, catching his jaw before it was too obvious that he was in awe of the carpentry of the Elven Palace. Kili walked behind Thranduil as he walked in through the gates, Elves parting like the red sea as he walked through. If he gave a few glares to the elves, well no one noticed. They were too busy stepping on his heels to notice a rogue dwarf following the King.

"My King, Thranduil." Tauriel spoke first, hurriedly, pushing past the others. The Elvenking turned his frosty gaze toward her, awaiting her. "Wargs have been sighted along our boarders. We are worried that…" The sharp Elleth trailed off, glaring, without any measure of subtlety, at her beloved ruler's latest… 'guest'.

_Ooh, she was not getting away with that_ Kili thought. "What are you looking at pointy ears?" Kili asked as polite as he could manage. Seriously, the attitudes on these elves! It was hard to stop himself kicking the uptight elf in the shins. He might not be able to run fast, but he _would_ get her when she was least expecting it.

What seemed like the entirety of the crowd gasped at the crudity of the furious little man, some even shaking their heads. Tauriel, ignoring Kíli, spoke what was on everyone's mind. "What's a _Dwarf _doing within out gates?" She almost spat as Thranduil's face formed an amused, almost sly grin. "He is a Durin!"

Kili pulled himself to his full height and if he had feathers he would have puffed them up. "And you are obviously an idiot if you think I don't know the fact that a Durin hasn't stepped through those gates since my Great Grandfather. Now that's out of the way, yes I am a Durin, Yes I could kick your six foot arse all the way to Mordor and back and yes I rank higher than you in terms of I am a Prince and you are a mere underling. Now back off." Kili folded his arms and glared at Tauriel before moving to the Kings side so he wasn't trod on by any more elves who didn't have the foresight to look down.

The crowd now caused a frantic commotion, every kind of rection imaginable. They waited on their king to defend their honour. Almost working herself into a temperamental battle frenzy, Tauriel tried to square up to Kíli, only to be met with the restriction of Thranduil's muscular arm. "Now, now children…" Using his other arm to hold Kíli, who was almost gauging the Elleth's eyes from her head, he chuckled to himself softly and lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Don't you dare 'Now, Now' me! And I'll have you know that I am an Adult in my culture thank you very much!" Kili glared at the Elven king and resigned himself to imagining many brutal ways that he could kill Tauriel in a minute, offering to let the subject drop so Thranduil could continue the conversation with his subject. He glared around at the crowds that had gathered in the mist of the argument._ I don't know what these prats want_, he thought. _Of all the nosy gits, elves rate the highest in my books._

Realising that the situation was antagonising the young Dwarf, he commanded the crowd to part. With some resentment, Tauriel calmed herself and stood aside, vowing to herself that she would never again do good for a Dwarf. "I…I apologise for that." Said Thranduil softly, as he took Kíli's arm and began to make his way toward the main palace. "I assure you, you will be treated with the utmost respect during your stay."

"I… Thank you, but if she starts again, I will not be held responsible for my actions." He warned as they walked through the door, throwing glares at any elf other than Thranduil who dared to come near him. Tauriel will be one to remember, especially if or when everything falls apart. He leaned into the king's grasp and walked close to him so that he wouldn't get trod on again. "You said earlier that you had a drink? Could you make that drink appear?" He asked, Looking around at the intricate designs on the walls.

Thranduil marched himself and the Dwarf-prince through the beautifully designed corridors and to a magnificent, arched oak door. "You truly are an alcoholic." He stared with a sarcastic element of the smallest surprise, halting in his tracks. "This will be your room." The king released Kíli's arm and twisted the door open. "I'll have some ale brought to you soon enough. Unless of course you want wine, in which case you need only ask the servant. For now, there are some matters I need to attend to."

"I'm not an alcoholic" Kili Protested. "I don't drink... I don't really... Fine. Okay I can see where you're going with that. I think that after today that I deserve a drink." Kili said, walking into the extravagant room. It was a bit large for him, but that was to be expected in an Elven kingdom. Nothing was ever dwarf friendly here. "I don't drink wine though. Nasty stuff. If you want any help, just ask though." He offered, walking back towards the king.

"Well then, I'll have a casket of ale sent to you soon…" Thranduil trailed off, lost in his thoughts slightly. Almost dreamily, he stared at the Dwarf. "I won't need anything…farewell." He left Kíli at the door.

"Charming." he muttered closing the door. He walked over to the bed and jumped onto it before laying down to try and sleep on the surprisingly comfortable bed. With the promise of ale, food and a warm bed for as long as he wanted, Kili drifted off to sleep.

-oOo-

Sorry for the wait. We've finally gotten around to writing another chapter, and If we're very lucky, we might get another up tonight.  
As always, we hope you like our work. Enjoy!  
Tanith and Tam.


	4. How to annoy a King, a lesson by Tauriel

Sweeping back through the corridor, not looking back, Thranduil sought to find his Head Elleth. "Tauriel." He called sternly, brow furrowed. Emerging from the palace doors, he saw that the crowd had scattered, continuing the incredulous gossip of the young Dwarf guest, and that only his son remained awaiting him. "Legolas, ion n'in." Thranduil smiled. "What news do you bring from the forest?"

"Wargs." Legolas said. "Wargs and Orcs have been sighted. Though I trust Tauriel has-"

"Yes, she has. Have you seen her?" The king cut his son off, leading him forward.

"Oh, she rode into the training courts. She seemed angry. Over a…Dwarf, of all things." Thanking Legolas, Thranduil strolled toward the training courts.

Tauriel walked out onto the training field to face one of the practice statues that lined one of the walls. Pulling it out away from the wall she started to take out all her anger on it, imagining that it was the mouthy dwarf that had dared to cross her. "When I," She hit the wooden statue "See," hit "that no good," hit "insolent" hit "Damn small," She aimed for the head piece, "Dwarf again." She swung the sword, chopping off the head, before picking it up and throwing it with all the force she could muster at the rest of the mangled statue. She sheathed her sword and kicked the dummy before moving to replace it so she could start again.

"Tauriel!" She flinched at the bellow of her Master's call. "Do not expect to talk to my guests like that and not have me chastise you." Thranduil continued, coming closer with every word. "Do you think yourself witty, insulting someone above your parentage?"

"He shouldn't be here! I had no intention of being witty, I'm just struggling to comprehend your decision to bring a Dwarf prince here which will probably start a chain reaction of Dwarfs to our kingdom to get him back!" She argued, folding her arms defensively.

"If they come for him, by all means they can have him. This is not a kidnap. It is a friendly offering, an attempt to make amends. Do not argue with me Elleth." Thranduil commanded. Noting the look of resentment in the young Elf's eyes, his face softened slightly. "I have a job for you. It is a little…adventurous."

Tauriel looked up at her King hopefully. "Adventurous? Sounds fun." She asked, leaning on the mangled statue that surprisingly still held after her attack on it a few minutes ago. "I'm sure I can be of service in anyway I can."

"I know you can. It involves travelling to Erebor…" He paused, waiting for Tauriel to protest. When she didn't - much to his surprise - Thranduil continued. "Inviting Thorin Oakenshield and his company to the palace…"

"Ooh a suicide mission. What are you aiming to gain from this?" She asked smirking. The King must have gone mad! She thought, What with all this 'friendly offering' talk. She really should talk to Legolas about all this. Maybe he would know what delusion the king was suffering from.

"I grow weary of being perceived as the monster, the villain. I hope that one day Dwarves will think their own opinions of me, not Thorin's. Tell him…that if he declines…I will personally see Kíli back to the magnificent halls of his ancestors." Thranduil dictated thoughtfully, loosening his lustrous hair again.

"Should I tell them that he came here of his own free will too? Dwarves are simple creatures who tend to believe the worst in people. You know that more than others, my King." She said slowly, noting the look of annoyance, perhaps regret that was in his face as he said that. "I will do it though. Will anyone be assigned to come with me?" She asked, hoping Legolas would be coming. She genuinely liked the princeling and wanted to get to know him better.

"Tell them that he did willingly do so." Thranduil sighed playfully, knowing full well of her plain interest in his only son. "Well…I suppose I could send Legolas along with you…no. He may drag you down." He teased slightly.

"The vacant look he usually gives me is quite comforting at times." She smirked. "I will do that for you though. When do we leave?" She asked, standing up straight and pushing the statue back to the wall.

Thranduil chuckled to himself, fondly thinking of his son, his pride and joy. "Give it a week." He said softly, turning his back on her. "Oh, and Tauriel?" He tossed over his shoulder.

Tauriel turned around from where she was stringing a bow that she had picked up from the wall next to the statues. "Yes?"

"Stop victimizing the statues. The little ones need them for training." and with that he was gone.

Tauriel chuckled and watched the King walk away before walking towards the archery range to start taking out her frustration at the dwarf prince on the archery butt.

-oOo-  
I know. Two chapters in a day. This should be in a world record book! Anyway, as usual, hope you enjoyed this and it puts a bit more of the story in context.  
Tanith and Tam.


	5. Everyone's a Little Bit Touchy Sometimes

Kili rolled over from his back to his side and lazily opened his eyes to look at the room in front of him, looking at the Elven king for moment lazily before he shut his eyes again. "Morning Thranduil." He said slowly before his brain caught up with his eyes. "Thranduil?!" He exclaimed, shooting up in the bed to look at the amused elf. "What are you doing here?!" He asked, getting comfortable under the Elf's gaze.

Shifting in his seat beside the bed, the Elvenking laughed. "I'd completed what I'd had to do. You needn't be so alarmed, what would I do?" He asked gently, careful not to further startle his companion, and took all that was Kíli in through heavy lidded eyes.

Kili looked puzzled for a moment and then sat back against the bedstand. "I guess you're right. Years of being told one thing sticks I guess." He said slowly, getting comfortable again. "I mean, I like you, although it's a little creepy finding you sat next to my bed first thing in the morning.. Evening even."

"Well, at least you've given one positive statement toward me. You're actually beginning to think for yourself. Congratulations." Said Thranduil with a sly grin.

Kili smirked and flipped the elf off. "You know, I could ignore you and go back to sleep," he chuckled, looking over at the king, "but I need a drink. Have done since that battle earlier. As you're so wonderfully nearer the door, with the added bonus of longer legs to go faster, do you fancy getting me one?"

"You're getting bold." The king winked, easing himself from the chair and drifting to the ale. He also plucked a bottle of Dorwinian wine from the floor. "Alright. Seeing as you 'worked' for it." And he passed the tankard to Kíli. "I'm having Tauriel sent to Erebor, by the way." Thranduil added before sipping from his bottle.

"You watched me while I slept." He stated, swigging inelegantly from the tankard. "And I resent that. You made me run when you had a perfectly good horse you could have called at any time." He took another swig of ale, before nearly spitting it out at Thranduil's words. "You're what?!"

Laughing completely at Kíli's exaggerated reaction, Thranduil took a heavy swig. "Yes...you're a peaceful sleeper. And I thought I would have your dear uncle over for a visit, if he'd accept the invitation that is."

"Still creepy." He smirked. "Oh and trust me. If the suicidal elf manages to get past Dwalin into Erebor, she'll have to talk Uncle into coming within 10 leagues of this place. I wish her luck. She'll need it to change my stubborn uncle's mind." He warned.

"I know, she likes a task. And being creepy was not my intent, I apologize. I can leave if you wish?" Thranduil smiled, setting the glass bottle down and swinging his nimble legs from the bed to the floor.

"No, no... It's fine." He said slowly, not meeting the elf's eyes. "I still say she's suicidal to go up against uncle." he muttered into his drink.

Looking at the floor through his eyelashes, he sighed slightly. "What is it to you if she is? You didn't seem to like her too much. Of course, my son will be going with her, so they should be fine."

Kili looked up in disbelief. "What elf in their right mind would go up against the dwarf most famous for hating elves?! It just isn't rational! And I wouldn't have argued with her if she didn't insult me. And I can't speak for your son but I don't think he should be risking his life against uncle, even if Bilbo can hold him back!"

Thranduil quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly at the thought of the two strongest Elves he knew perishing at the hands of Dwarves. "Wouldn't happen. It isn't life-risking. Not for Legolas, at least. He has fought Nazguls, you know."

Kili shook his head, but kept quiet, taking a swig of ale. He knew it wasn't a good idea for them to go, but he knew the only chance of them getting past Dwalin was Bilbo. "Let me at least write a letter to Mr Boggins. He'll get them an audience with uncle and he'll be able to hold Thorin back if things get out of control." He asked slowly, working up his best puppy dog eyes to get through to Thranduil.

Lost in thought Thranduil kept to himself for a moment, considering the most effective and equally amusing option. After feeling Kíli's almost...pretty... gaze upon him for what felt like an hour, he made his decision. "Well, if it really concerns you that greatly..." he trailed off.

"Yes. It does. Uncle will take it as a threat otherwise, and rile the armies. I don't want a war, thank you very much." He explained. He finally met the Elf's gaze, putting all sincerity into his own.

"Very well. I suppose I should not underestimate the stubbornness of Dwarves. I just wish I hadn't done what I did back then..." Falling into a trance, Thranduil began to disregard and ignore everything around him.

"Well as you said earlier, it was either your people added to the slaughter... Are you even listening to me? What in hell was in that wine?" He said disbelievingly. He moved closer to the elf and prodded his arm. "Thranduil?" He tried, poking him again. "Thrandy? Elf? Anyone home? Kili to Thranduil, do you copy?" _Oh great. A comatose dwarf is sat in the chair next to your bed. Woop-de-bloody-doo._ He sucked in all the air he could muster and got ready to shout. "THRANDUIL?! Are you still alive?!"

Shaking his head slowly, the Elvenking broke from his trance and widened his eyes. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you. I just - why does my arm hurt?" He inquired, cocking his brow again slightly with an element of perplexity.

The dwarf smirked at the obvious confusion on the Elf's face. "Be thankful I didn't bite you" Kili grinned, picking up his ale again with a sense of a job well done.. Even if that job was waking up an elf from a comatose state. He should start a business.

"I'll be wary of that. So, how were you planning on spending the night?" Asked the Elf, leaning forward on his chair slightly.

Kili pondered this for a moment. "I don't know. Get something to eat, go back to bed I suppose. Why?" He asked the elf as he put his tankard down and pulled the remaining covers off of him. Since when did it get so hot in here?

Thranduil leaned in a little more, as if sharing a secret, and he clasped his graceful white hands together. "Well," He began softly. "I was wondering if there are any weaponry you struggle with, even remotely. Just a man-on-man thing. I could help you out if you felt like it."

"I wouldn't mind help with my sword, if you wouldn't mind yourself" he asked, leaning closer to Thranduil and speaking in a quiet voice. "Your help would be graciously appreciated."

Remaining in his place, Thranduil was almost shocked at Kíli's reaction. He stared at him for a while coolly, before whispering "Tonight, then." And retreating all the way back.

"I look forward to it." Kili smiled, leaning back against the headboard of the frankly massive bed. The silence was comfortable, and Kili seemed to be content, sitting next to the Elf King. He smiled happily as he took his last swig of ale and placed it on the floor next to Thranduil's feet, almost falling off the bed in the process.

Thranduil did almost the same, resting his legs on the bed and his arms behind his head, an appeased smile tugging at his lips, but only faintly. He closed his eyes and relaxed, feeling that there was nothing more to say for the moment.

Kili closed his eyes and drifted in the world for a second, forgetting all his troubles for a bit, focusing on Thranduil's presence.

Cracking one eye open, the king grinned to see a perfectly calm and serene Kíli, relaxed in his thoughts and oblivious to his surroundings. One opportunity he couldn't pass up. Leaning toward him, with all the speed and agility of a true Elf, Thranduil flicked the Dwarf directly on the forehead, reclining back within seconds.

Kili's hand shot to his face, effectively slapping himself in the process. "OW! What was that for?!" He asked, rubbing the point where Thranduil had flicked his forehead. "Entirely uncalled for. Git." He muttered to himself, scowling.

A giggle escaped his lips, ready to turn to a hearty laugh at the desired effect. "Come on, that's the oldest trick in the book! You even slapped yourself." He laughed still, eyes closed again and maintaining the same relaxed position.

Kili muttered some choice oaths in Khuzdul and shifted about on the bed. Smirking, he pushed Thranduil's legs off the bed and onto the floor. Yes it was childish and he was 70, a respectful age for a dwarf, no he didn't care and no one was around to tell him off for it.

"You utter child." Thranduil mused after his limbs hit the floor with a thud. "I've the right mind to send you to Legolas for the night, or perhaps the youngest Elves are more on your level?"

Kili smirked. "Yeah, of course I am. You love me really" he joked, lying back down on the bed. "At least they would appreciate my genius, I could teach them a thing or two. They would be utter menaces by the time I get back. When do I leave?" He said, head falling back on the pillow with a thump.

Tilting his head slightly and smiling, Thranduil's fierce eyes met with Kíli's. "I can't say that our relationship is at that stage, but I'm certainly developing a fondness for you." He chuckled, swinging his legs directly on top of his guest's this time, just to antagonize him further. "As for the children, if you corrupt them, the parents come to me."

Kili felt his face redden. "I didn't... I was..." He stuttered, mortified. He looked into the amused king's face and breathed a sigh of relief. He was joking... He hoped, otherwise that wasn't very tactful at all. He rolled his eyes when he felt the king put his legs on top of his own. "Yeah, it would be fun though." He said, considering all the outcomes of that arrangement.

Combing his hair out of his face, Thranduil also pondered all of the possible results, mentally amusing himself. "You leave for them first thing tomorrow." He jested playfully.

"Ooh, sounds fun. I'd have them running riot in 30 minutes tops I reckon." He chuckled, placing his hands from behind his head to clasped on his chest.

"I bet 15, given your bloodline." He remarked casually. "I'll bet you 7 ales."

"10 minutes tops. Done. what if I lose? I don't have any ales." He asked curiously.

"Hmm...you'll have to give me something of worth to you." Thranduil urged, winking at Kíli.

Thranduil winking was an odd sight to say the least. But this was getting interesting. "Like what?" He prompted, propping himself up on his elbows to smirk at the king.

Taking a quick gulp of wine, Thranduil shrugged. "Anything you deem worthy of losing in a bet. Anything at all." He smirked back.

"I don't have anything but my weapons with me though. I had ran out of food by the time I met you, I was going to stop of at dale for supplies." He explained, thinking back to his last thing to eat: a piece of meat given to him by Beorn a mere 4 days ago.

"Okay..." He began, processing the information. "Okay, if I win, I get to keep you here for a week longer than before." He suggested with pride - and a little excitement. It was so...simple.

Kili thought about this for a moment. "No catches?" He asked. He had been around Balin long enough to know you had to close loopholes.

"I thought that would have been catch enough for you." Thranduil frowned, grin dropping suddenly, almost as if something had stomped it out.

"Well let's go down a checklist, shall we? Number 1." He flicked it off on his finger. "Do you intend on throwing me in a dungeon at any point during my stay? Number two. Do you at any point intend on starving or dehydrating me? Number 3." He waved three fingers into the air for Thranduil to see. "Do you intend on ransoming me or keeping me hostage? If the answer's no to all three, I have no qualms with it."

"No qualms it is!" Thranduil beamed, batting Kíli's hand out of the way and holding out his own to seal the deal. "Come on now, do I look like the sort to lie to you?" He asked, pouting slightly.

"I wouldn't say lie," Kili said while sitting up, which was harder than it looked when your legs were trapped by an elf. "Just cheat" he smirked, grasping the king's hand and shook it. "You're on."

"Well this is exciting." He stated as a cunning grin erupted onto his face and he shook the Dwarf's hand firmly. "I can't imagine what elaborate ruse you might concoct to send my youngest subjects into a mischievous frenzy...but then, I don't have the imagination of a Durin..."

"Give me a moment and I'll think of something" he beamed, hand still clasped in Thranduil's. "10 minutes tops. Anything over and you've won."

Listening eagerly to everything Kíli said, Thranduil chuckled at the young man's excitability. "You can let go of my hand now, Mellonamin, if you want to." He smiled as Kíli's intense gaze travelled to their motionless hands.

"Oh! Uh.. Sorry about that." He muttered, letting go of Thranduil's hand and feeling his ears go red. "I will win though, and when I do, I will enjoy those ales immensely." He announced, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Fret not." Teased. "And I will enjoy the week of loneliness."

"Do not try and make me feel guilty for winning," he warned, "because I won't. I shall win."

"I meant it. I'm more accustomed to solitude. Besides that, a bet is a bet" He put his hands up, as if to surrender, and removed his legs from top Kíli's.

"Oh, you really know how to make someone feel welcome." He teased. "So, thinking with my stomach here, but when can we eat?"

"Stop. I gave you a bed. More importantly drink. And I scalded my second-best warrior for disrespecting you." Thranduil protested, whacking the prince on the arm and smiling. "You eat when you please."

Kili's brows furrowed. "When did you scald Tauriel?" He asked, thinking back to the argument. "I'm sure she stormed off before you could say anything to her" he said bewildered.

Sighing and rubbing his eyes, Thranduil replied with "When you were sleeping."

"Right. How long was I out for?" He asked, looking out of the small window to see if he could gauge the time to no avail.

"Around an hour, I'd say." He took a moment to consider what he was saying. "That is, of course, if you slept just after I'd gone."

"Yeah, I didn't even hear them bring the drinks in. I must have needed it though." he explained, leaning back against the pillows.

Lifting his hand to chin in thought, Thranduil's fierce gaze traveled to Kíli with slight perplextion. "You did seem a little...fatigued" He smiled gently.

"You made me needlessly run through a forest because you wouldn't slow down. Then there was that whole business with the Orcs and I'd already been walking since daybreak." He huffed, folding his arms.

"I'm not insulting you, you have every right to be tired. I'm weary myself." Said Thranduil as he tossed his platinum locks back and yawned slightly. "Besides, I had completely forgotten about the horse. The dialogue had me enthralled."

"I wasn't defending myself, just a bit annoyed that you made me run for a good half an hour, maybe more." Kili said, punctuating his words with a flick of his wrist. "Dialogue? Which bit?" He asked, raising his head slightly to look at the king.

"All of it" He shook his head with subtle confusion. "What does it matter?"

Kili rolled his eyes, and let his head fall back on the pillow. "I just wondered what bit is all." He answered, closing his eyes.

Noting the look of faint disappointment in his young companion, Thranduil strained his mind back to the previous conversation, rubbing his eyes wearily. "If I could choose one part..."

Kili opened one eye to look at the king and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"No...not that. I suppose when..." He trailed off again, racking his memory, considering all the options.

Kili smiled warmly at the King. He looked like he could really do with sleeping for an hour or two, especially where under his eyes were a bit grey from lack of sleep in general.

Thranduil slowly opened his eyes again and sighed. "I don't - I can't -" He stopped himself as he met with the welcoming smile that sprawled itself across Kíli's face. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Kili chuckled. "You really should get some sleep though, you look completely knackered." He said, closing his eye again lazily, keeping the smile still on his face.

"I can't, really. There is so much I have to see to." He strained to smile back a little, beginning to feel the effects of fatigue on himself now they had been brought to light. As if to rid himself of further burdens, he slipped his two biggest and most elaborate rings from his fingers and through them onto the lavish bed.

Kili opened his eyes and frowned slightly as he felt a ring bounce off his leg. "Well that's the stupidest thing I've heard you say all day. What is so important that you can't leave it for a few more hours? Procrastination is your best friend right now." Kili said. He looked over at Thranduil and frowned."Seriously, you need to sleep. When was the last time you actually lay down and relaxed?"

Thranduil chuckled at the young Dwarf's adamance. "Kingly duties. The typical tasks. I appreciate your concern, but..."

"Thranduil! Bed! Now!" Kili commanded, pulling up a voice that sounded suspiciously a lot like his mother's. Dis would be very proud of her son, Kili smirked.

Jumping slightly at the force of this command, Thranduil's icy eyes were turning to anger, and a stern scowl began to form. "Do not. Raise your voice at me." He said through gritted teeth, almost incredulous at Kíli's valour.

"Well stop being such an idiot and actually take care of yourself! You're going to collapse if you do anything else! Listen to me and stop being such a colossal prat!" He argued back, sitting up and using his one had to start pointing at Thranduil accusingly. He didn't know when he started to talk with his hands, but if it helped him get his point across, it was worth falling into the habit.

"You insolent little brat, I should have you sent to the dungeons!" He snapped suddenly, towering over Kíli and raising his hand to him. Something stopped him however, a feeling that he would almost hate himself to see Kíli in pain.

"Try me!" He threatened, moving his legs off the bed so that they were in the correct placement for him to kickt he legs out from under him. He kept his gaze level all the way through their argument.

So suddenly and swiftly, Thranduil felt all of his anger leave him, and his face began to soften. "I apologize. You - you're right. I'm tired..."

"Yes you are." Kili muttered, bringing his legs back around onto the bed.

"I'm sorry...I'll try to get some sleep." Thranduil mumbled a little, sitting back down.

Kili sat up, jumped off the bed and walked towards the door. "You do that, I'll get someone to take me to the kitchens. Sweet dreams Thranduil." He said, closing the door behind him.

"Take-!" He was cut off by the shutting of the door, and the realization of Kíli's absence. "Legolas..." He sighed gently, removing his elaborate robe to reveal a classic shirt, and tight grey trousers half hidden by shin-high boots. Before he could do much more, the Elvenking collapsed on the lavish bed, white hair pooling around him.

Meanwhile, Kili had managed to abduct Legolas, got food and more Ale plus secure archery practice with the other prince. All in all it had been a wonderful day, Kili mused, walking up to his bedchambers. He walked towards the doorway and slowly opened the door. "Thranduil.." He asked.

Thranduil stirred slightly, drifting somewhere between consciousness and sleep. He made small, delayed grunt, as if to acknowledge something he hadn't quite heard but felt he shouldn't ignore.

Kili snuck into the room and chuckled softly at the sight of the Elven King sprawled across the bed and took a swig of the beer he had managed to acquire from Legolas. He would have to introduce Gimli to Legolas. If the Elf would give a Dwarf beer, he had no qualms with him at the present time. Neither, he suspected, would Gimli. Kili sat where the king was sitting not so long ago, their places switched, and drained his pint. He felt increasingly tipsy (really, what was in that stuff? It's lethal!) as he swayed on the chair. His mind briefly considered moving to the bed before his drunken mind took that thought into full swing and walked him over to the other side of the bed only to have him tumble gently onto it. He instantly started to drift off to sleep, hearing a muffled "sadfo sw kfdn" from Thranduil that was spoken into the pillow, before the darkness took him from the world.

-oOo-

Author's note:  
So, as you can see, the elusive Thranduil is happiest in its native environment and the Kili is rather quick to draw conclusions.  
As always, thanks for reading!  
Tanith and Tam


	6. There was two in the bed

Thranduil stirred slightly, rousing himself from a dreamless sleep. He yawned and stretched gently, and wrapped his arm around Kíli, nestling his head into the pillow. It took him a while to realize how much he enjoyed this feeling, and another to realize exactly what he was doing. He pulled his arm back drowsily and rolled to the other side.

Killi murmured in his sleep, mildly objecting to the warmth going away as soon as it had made itself known. He curled up, pulling the blankets up and around him, trying to get warm.

Snatching the blankets back, Thranduil grunted violently as he pulled to fast and rolled off the bed with a bang. Still half asleep, he moaned distinctly and balled himself up on the floor with the blankets in his arms.

Kili woke quickly and found himself being pulled across the bed as he was still attached to the blankets. He managed to let go just before he went over the side of the bed, but overbalanced, landing straight on top of the Elf.

He sighed again, feeling a little suffocated by the impact of the Dwarf. "Why…why were you in bed with me?" Thranduil managed finally, collapsing on himself despite the lack of movement, as if shocked by the amount of effort the apathetic sentence had required.

"I… I don't really remember. I remember coming back from the kitchens with Legolas, finishing my drink and then I think I felt tired, so I decided to go to bed." Kili stuttered, looking down at the Elf. "Why were you in my bed?"

"I…fell asleep here. You told me to sleep." He nestled his face into the blankets again. "I feel like my eyes have been ripped open."

"That's your fault for drinking so much then." Kili smirked, "Really, what was in that stuff? It's lethal!" He laughed, looking at where the Elf's face had disappeared.

Thranduil laughed in return, relishing in the warm sound that escaped Kíli. "I told you, Dorwinion. It's the best wine in Middle-Earth. And that was not drunkenness on my part." He buried his face deeper, and realized that Kíli had become pretty weightless now.

"I'm sorry, but you are sporting some traces of a hangover," Kili chuckled, resting his head on an arm. "Besides, I drank the ale and even that was like the paint stripper that Bilbo used when Fili and I covered Uncle's throne in daisy patterns the day before Durin's Day." He smirked at the memory.

"That truly is cruel." Thranduil smiled to himself, still concealing it with the sheets. "Before Durin's day. I'm purely tired. You haven't seen anything. You weren't there when I was a Princeling and woke up naked half-way up a tree."

"How did you manage that?" Kili asked intrigued. "Durin's Day is usually fun, with different events like sword fighting and Archery. Uncle wins the champion for sword fighting every year." He said, picking at a loose thread in the blankets.

Thranduil reminisced fondly, thinking of the disapproving look his Father had shot him when we was rescued. "It doesn't matter. That doesn't surprise me, he's a brilliant warrior." There was a small moment of silence before he spoke again. "Are you happy there, on top of me?" He chuckled.

Kili felt his face redden and made to move before toppling off of Thranduil and under the bed. _Great. And the title of Middle Earth's clumsiest dwarf goes to Kili Durin. Congratulations. _Kili grumbled to himself and ran his hand through his hair

"No, I wasn't complaining. You are too harsh on yourself." Thranduil yelled, voice muffled by the linen beneath his face. "I'm not getting up. I don't even care." He said with a flamboyant wave of his arm.

Kili moved from under the bed again to where he had entered and climbed back onto Thranduil's stomach. "That's good, because you were comfortable." He smiled, putting his head back on his arm.

Thranduil slowly revealed his face, gazing up at the Dwarf with fierce eyes. "That's good." He smiled, "Because I'm here for as long as you need me."

Kili smiled at the Elf. "Thank you." He smiled, lying his head on Thranduil's chest, boxing in his face with his arms so the King could not see how red his ears and cheeks had gone.

A rogue arm wrapped itself around Kíli, going against Thranduil's latter and better judgement as he, too, tried to control a blush. It had been so long since he had done anything like…this. "You're welcome." It came out as a shaky and nervous squeak, evening itself out as it went along. He cleared his throat and repeated.

Kili smiled to himself and moved one arm down to his side to he could see Thranduil better. He had never done anything like this, Dwarves tend to find their one during life, go through a long and torturous period of courting and then get married. If one of the pair dies, the other will not love again. All very romantic and tedious if you asked the Durin Brothers.

As Thranduil gazed into a mesmerizing pair of deep, brown eyes, he felt once again the pain he had felt for eons, the pain of loss and suffering. He felt the hurt of losing his one and only, of seeing his own Ada slaughtered before his own eyes. The feeling of knowing that your very essence is deteriorating with every breath you take, fading away, resigning yourself to death. But he also felt the relief and sense of tolerance of life that only one other person had given him, only his wife. So long ago…

Kili'd seen that look in Thranduil's eyes not so long ago… _Oh Mahal, he's off again. There's only one thing for it_, He reasoned, poking the Elvenking in the chest. He would have to ask at some point why he did this. "Seriously, it must run in the family, because Legolas has a wonderful talent of staring off into the distance. Aulë knows I caught him doing that at least three times," Kili commented to the air, before taking an executive decision about what he was going to do next. "THRANDUIL!" He bellowed, grabbing tight onto the King's shirt, just in case he sat up too quickly and Kili was thrown off.

"You really don't like it when I think, do you?" Thranduil beamed down at Kíli, almost laughing. "Why are you holding so tightly?" He held the Dwarf's arm, trying to free his poor shirt.

"You stare off into the distance, you even manage it when you're looking at someone. Legolas does the same! I don't mind you thinking, but you just blank out on me." He explained, removing his hand from it's current death grip in the linen shirt. "Sorry, that was just in case you sat up suddenly, so I didn't fall off" He muttered, his ears reddening.

"I'm sorry, it must be an Elf thing… or a Mirkwood thing… or… a Greenleaf thing. I'll try not to do it again." Thranduil said sincerely, resting a hand where Kíli's was and rubbing his chest. "I think you caught some skin there." He grinned again, almost glowing.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Kili smirked, "Seriously, you brood as much as you want. I think it's rather funny how you do that, especially how you're easier and a lot more fun to get out of it than Uncle is." He said, leaning forward against the King's chest. "Uhh, sorry about that."

Thranduil's arm again wrapped around Kíli, this time a little tighter and with more confidence. "We need to get out of here. It's been ages." He mused, combing a little bit of hair from the Dwarf's eyes.

"Has it? I didn't notice." _That was a downright lie kili, and you know it. You've been hyper aware of that Elvish King since he pointed an arrow at you yesterday in the forest. _"Besides, I still have that bet to win." He smirked, thinking about what he had planned for the Elven palace. This was going to be fun!


	7. What Kili didn't say

During the time Kili left the room and Thranduil slept away his woes, He rounded up the children of Mirkwood who played about in the courtyard that Kili had argued with Tauriel in.  
"Right then." Kili smirked at the kids. He was going to have some fun with this, and get a load of free drinks out of it. "I'm Kili, and you lot are going to help me win a bet. Questions?"

"Why are you so small?" Piped up one child from the back who had managed to climb onto another's shoulders to see what was going on with the small man who was now ordering them to do something.

"Are you a dwarf?" Asked another, a young girl by the sounds of her high voice.

"Are you from Erebor?" Said one with hair as white as Thranduil's. He never noticed how much he appreciated that hair before now, and made a mental note of the fact.

"I've never met a Dwarf before!" Shouted a boy from the left. _That's not surprising. _Kili thought. _Not with the whole Erebor/Mirkwood feud going on._

"What are we doing?" a little child of about 8 asked, pulling on the sides of Kili's jacket. Kili lent back against a tree and smiled. This was going to be fun.

"In order, I'm small because that's how my race is. Yes I am a Dwarf, I am a Prince of Erebor to be exact. And what we are doing dear children is this. How many of you like to be creative and draw?" He asked and watched all of the children put their hands up. "Good. How many of you own paint?" The same result happened and Kili grinned. "What I want you to do is bring your paint to this square and wait here until I come out and tell you to go. Then, all I want you to do is make as much.. Creative expressions on the walls and the floor, anything you can get your paint brush near. Have you got that?"

"Isn't that bad though?" A brown haired child asked him from the right. So innocent. He almost pitied her. Almost being the key word.

"In normal circumstances, yes. But today, Thranduil has given you permission to do this. So have you all got that?" He asked, grinning at the nodding children that surrounded him. "Okay then. Go and get your paints!" He prompted, watching the children run off in different directions, before spotting Legolas crossing the cobbled courtyard. "Legolas! I wonder if you could show me where the Kitchens are..."

-oOo-  
Author's note:  
Tam doesn't know about this yet. She is going down in this bet!  
Tanith


	8. A portrait of Mirkwood

Thranduil walked gracefully with his companion, hands knotted firmly behind his back. Gesturing toward an innocently tame and controlled flock of Elflings, he quirked a perfect eyebrow at Kíli. "Come on, Durin, do your family name proud."

Kili strolled into the square and cleared his voice, before letting out a booming "GO!" to the square. He sat down on a low wall and watched the children spray multitudes of paint in all different directions, covering the area head to foot in designs the children thought 'creative'. He smirked as the white haired child from earlier managed to get paint on the astonished Elven King and smiled at the young children who was covering the floor in flower patterns, much like the ones Kili and Fili had designed on Uncle's Throne. This was fun, therapeutic even. He should do this more often.

"You…little…shit." Thranduil yelled playfully, with a mix of serious shock and a little frivolity on his face. Retrieving an abandoned paintbrush from the floor, he painted a stripe straight across Kíli's nose. "You must have cheated." He chuckled, almost admiring the chaos that surrounded him.

"Thank you." Kili said, grinning at the chaos the young children were causing. "No cheating either. Timed it, the meeting with the Children whilst you were asleep lasted seven minutes, and you never said that there couldn't be an interval." He explained, wiping his nose against the King's shirt. "Oh and I told them you said it was okay for them to do this. Do you mind sticking to that?"

"Well, sneaky. You hunt out loopholes. Must have learned that from Dwalin…And I couldn't shout at them. They're enjoying it. The parents however, I may have to answer to." Another blob of paint hit Kíli right in the cheek. "That's for the hoard of angry guardians that you've unleashed on me." Thranduil smirked and gently stroked his chin, taking in the scene. "You know, I do quite like the palace like this."

"Balin, actually. He deals with the contracts in Erebor and Uncle sent me to work with him for a month. Some of it stuck." He explained, wiping another blob of paint that had managed to land on his nose, decorating the stripe Thranduil had already put there. "Good luck with the parents, I cause the trouble, I don't fix it. I'll be there to say it was me, but when the angry mob turns, I'll be nowhere in sight," Kili chuckled, almost pitying the Elf who had to clean up this creative design (mess). "I believe that was seven drinks you owe me?" He smirked, lying down on the wall and getting a face full of paint from an Elfling who wasn't looking where he was painting.

Thranduil laughed as he bent down to a small brunette girl who looked terrified at the sight of her king. He sat on the marble floor so that they were eye-level, and whispered for her to run up and paint a fuming Tauriel, who grew even angrier as the little Elfling did as commanded and dobbed a bright green on her hands. This being as far as she could reach, she sprinted off to join her friends. Thranduil waved and winked at his second best warrior, not trying to conceal his amusement. "I'll give you 8." He turned to look up at Kíli. "For being smart enough to work around me."

Kili laughed at the sight of a green Tauriel and smirked as an incredibly bold child made to put a load of red paint into Legolas' hair as he gazed off once more into the distance. He nudged Thranduil and pointed, just in time for him to see the paint drop onto his head, the boy running away, whilst flicking paint back at the chasing Prince who now sported a new hairstyle. "Thank you, my King, I think that would be brilliant." He said thoughtfully.

"I thought your uncle was your King?" Thranduil's frosty blue gaze reverted to Kíli with an element of curiosity, and a small smile graced his lips. He tilted his head, a habit he had carried since birth and personally thought it to make him look a little dumb.

Kili suddenly found himself thanking Mahal that he had paint over his face, otherwise he would end up looking as red as Legolas' hair. "Well, I'm in Mirkwood at the moment, so I think that warrants some respect to you, so currently you are the king." He blagged, worming his way out of his most current stupid remark. _Seriously Kili, you're full of them._

Thranduil lowered his eyes, realizing that his 'evenstars' had narrowly missed a brushing with a nice mix of pink and blue paint. _That would look interesting…_he smiled to himself at the absurdity of this thought. "I must admit, I appreciate your new found respect for me. Not so much my kingdom," He made a wide gesture, noting the distinctive blush underneath Kíli's colour-stained complexion. "Are you alright there?"

"Fine, Thank you." Kili said, trying to push the blush back down but not succeeding. _Yay._ "Your Kingdom's a bit… Colourful right now, isn't it, Thranduil" he observed. "Should I call them off now? Or would you like them to start spreading this madness?" He smirked.

"Hell, allow them to carry on. Perhaps they'll brighten up the rough complexion of Radagast the Brown, or Beorn." Thranduil smiled to himself, and at Kíli. "No, call them off. I think the parents have been tortured enough now." He pointed toward an older Elf, sat in a corner almost rocking back and forth. Tying up his thick, plentiful hair again with the orc rag he had kept around his wrist, Thranduil braved the wreckage of the haywire children and sought to console the traumatised one.

Kili rolled his eyes as Thranduil put his hair up once again with the Orc rag. "OKAY, STOP!" He bellowed, getting all the children's attention, "I think you should go and clean yourselves up now, what do you think?" He said before they scampered off to their respectable, weary parents. All i_n all, that went rather well,_ Kili thought, looking around at the carnage that used to be the square. _Bit of that Ale from last night and the paint should come right off. Paint stripper, that's all I'm saying. _Kili stalked over to where Thranduil was helping an older elf to their feet and helping them get out of the brightly coloured courtyard. "Well. That could have been worse."

Trying to hide a mischievous smirk from the disapproving Elf, Thranduil moved a hand to his face. "Mind what you say. You've brought me to a level of immaturity that only Elflings carry this day. I _should_ be angry with you."

"You made the bet. You got what was coming to you. Besides, a drop of that ale that I was drinking last night will clean this place right up. I don't know what you're fussing about." He said, flipping his hands about as he talked and smiling at all the Elves who were looking at him disapprovingly. "Besides, did you really think I was going to do this without cleaning everything up? You think so little of me." Kili pouted, using his puppy dog eyes, that he usually saved for when he was in trouble with Bilbo or Ori, on Thranduil.

"Could you stop doing that? It's unbearable...seriously." Thranduil whispered out of the corner of his mouth, his eyes darkening slightly. "My people." He spoke boldly. "Fret not for this sudden change in the system. My friend here means no harm, only to show you a warm heart and playful attitude." Pausing for a moment to figure out how to work his way out of this, his eyes fell briefly on those of Tauriel, the threatening look she challenged him with. No, he was the King. He demanded and deserved to be treated as such. "He meant only to lift your sorrows in this hard time of our kingdom. Who would fail to appreciate that?" He smiled fondly as Legolas urged him on, ever the supportive son. "Let us all revel in this, and be merry for the time being, for the night is young!" With this his subjects began to clap and cheer, satisfied with this thoughtful tortiloquy.

"I can't believe that worked." Kili muttered to Thranduil, "And besides, I like this look." he smirked, continuing his glaring at Tauriel once again. At least Legolas, who was now sporting the red, blue and green look, was being supportive of his father. _Tauriel either had no manners, or had no regard for her king_, he decided. Kili smiled at the elves who had all now decided he was doing no harm to their kingdom and seemed to almost enjoy the new found color in the area.

Thranduil continued to nod and smile at his subjects as they made their way past, speaking from the corner of his mouth. "I can. They'll believe anything I tell them. They depend on me for a lot. Not that I often play on it. What to do now?" He sighed.

The dwarf looked around and let out a chuckle. "I'd start by getting this place clean, and perhaps yourself as well." He suggested, "I wish I could do that to the poplulation of Erebor, they won't listen to me." He said slowly, letting the crowds fizzle out of the courtyard and waited to see the full extent of the damage.

"They will listen to you, with time. You must earn their respect and loyalty. It definitely didn't happen immediately with me, especially after the 'tree' incident." Thranduil patted Kíli on the back reassuringly and looked himself over. "Yes…I think I could do with a bath…"

"You and me both." Kili chuckled, looking down over his paint coloured clothes and flesh. Casting a gaze up at the paint covered king, he smirked, scooped some pink paint up from the floor and threw it at the unsuspecting Elf. Laughing, Kili stepped just out of range for Thranduil to grab him.

"Enough with the paint!" The Elf cried with a smile, leaping to grab Kíli by the coat, and flick him on the forehead. "Fun's over now. Let's get clean and then you can have your ales."

"Will you stop doing that?! It's really degrading!" Kili chuckled, trying not to laugh at the annoyed and relatively flustered Elven king. "I'm good for ales for now, perhaps later." He said, flicking his hand disinterestedly.

Tilting his head again, now a little more harsh, Thranduil deeply furrowed his brow in confusion. "All the time you spent nagging me for a drink yesterday, and not even a drop of the stuff today." He folded his arms and lifted his chin slightly. "Yeah, and what can you do about it? You poke me, I flick you."

"I needed a drink then, and you did promise. Besides, it's a bit too early to start drinking right now." He reasoned, walking next to the king. "I only poke you when you dive off into dreamland! There's no need to flick my head at every given moment." He grumbled, aiming a kick towards the kings shin, but missing spectacularly.

"Wasn't aiming to hit." Kili muttered, kicking a stone and following Thranduil. "Still degrading!" he said, swearing in Iglisgmek towards the King.

Thranduil turned to face the Dwarf almost abruptly. "If you really want to follow me, then by all means, continue. But it involves something I'm not so sure you'd be comfortable with." A sly grin upon his face, he waited on his companion's response.

Kili stopped himself just before he walked straight into Thranduil. Grumbling at the Elf, quirked an eyebrow. "Where are you going then?" he asked curiously, stepping back away from the King to look up at his face.

Thranduil gazed down at Kíli with relaxed eyes. "I'm going to take a bath." He smiled gently, turning again to the palace doors.

_Kili, stop blushing. Seriously Kili you've done enough blushing today to last a lifetime. Kili, **stop it**!_ "Uh.. Right then. Um. Where to is the… What I mean is…" _Kili get your act together! _He told himself sternly. He pulled himself up to his full height and started again. "Is the water taken to the rooms, or is there a designated area?"

Opting to ignore that deep shade of red that kept appearing on Kílli's chiseled face, Thranduil began to speak. "To the rooms. I trust I'll find you in yours later on?" The Elvenking looked almost smug as he analyzed the Dwarf.

Kili nodded and walked past Thranduil, head held high. "Yes, I'll see you later," He remarked looking back at the king and subsequently tripped over a young child who was still covered in paint. Grumbling, he picked himself up and rounded the corner towards his room.

"Farewell, troublesome Dwarf." Thranduil said with a whimsical wave of his fair hand. He shook his head fondly and made his way to his own chambers. Kili continued to walk down the corridor and folded his paint stained arms.

"Elves."

-oOo-  
Author's note:  
Well I must admit, even if Tam did swear a bit, I thoroughly enjoyed winning this. I expect she'll get me back in one way or another, but it was fun all the same.

As always, We hope you enjoy!  
Tam and Tanith.


	9. The Colourful Aftermath of Paint

After the bath that was prepared within minutes of him asking for it (_now that's what you call service)_, Kili had dressed in a simple linen shirt and hoes that had been laid out on the bed while the Elves had drawn him a bath. He sat on the bed that was way too big for any Dwarf and picked at some paint that refused to budge from his skin, even after he had scrubbed at it vigorously in the bath tub. _Mental note: When placing a bet, never include paint, It never works to your advantage. _After he had managed to get a corner of the blue splodge off his arm, he admitted defeat and threw himself down onto the bed.

Knocking the Dwarf-Prince's doors gently, a freshly cleaned Thranduil slipped into the lavish room in a similar shirt as before, with trousers partially hidden by silver boots. His platinum locks were no longer held back by the filthy Orc rag, but a silken ribbon. "Enjoying that?" He asked with amusement, noting Kíli's relaxed demeanor.

Kili turned his head to look at the king and take in his figure before scowling. "How in Mahal's name did you manage to get the Paint off?! You were covered in the stuff and I can't get the blue or the red off!" He complained, folding his legs over. "And to answer your question, yes. It's nice to relax now and then, especially if you don't do it often.

"It just peeled off. Perhaps your water wasn't warm enough..." Thranduil trailed off and leaned against the door frame thoughtfully, his nimble limbs crossed. "It's wonderful to relax. If you have the time."

"Or you're really a wizard." Kili grumbled turning his head up toward the ceiling. "Are you going to come in, or are you going to stand around looking lost?" He smirked.

Thranduil shook his head and smiled fondly at the Dwarf's boldness. "I don't feel lost." For the first time for a while, he truly didn't. "Where do you want me?" As if surrendering to something, Thranduil held his hands up and stepped in.

"I don't know. Take a seat somewhere, you're letting the warmth out leaving the door open like that." Kili said, flipping his hand in the air as he stared up at the ceiling.

Moving swiftly and almost slamming the door, as if to make more of a draft, Thranduil moved the chair a little from the bed and reclined into it. "How's this?" A small, but smug smirk danced across his lips.

Kili threw a glare at the Elf as he felt the rush of air hit him, and flipped him off as he sat down smirking. _Smug git._ "That's fine." He said, sitting up again so he was more or less the same height as Thranduil when he was sat down.

One-upping Kíli, Thranduil raised two fingers up at him lazily and smiled. "Eye-level. Usually I'd have to kneel for that." He shot, analyzing the Dwarf. There was something different about him now.

"Rukhsul menu." Kili muttered, putting his arms behind his head and reclined towards the wall. "Any plans until the Dwarven Army arrive?" He asked, turning his head to look at the King.

"Well, I was thinking of hunting, if you want to come along. We can ride Sam." Thranduil ignored the comment about the army, internally groaning at the faith that boy had in his own kind, and clasped his hands together.

"Sam?" Kili asked. "Hunting sounds great, I haven't been hunting for ages. Uncle wouldn't let us go any more." He grinned, remembering the trouble Fili and him had managed to get into. It was well worth the month being bored out of his mind in the Library working for Ori and Balin.

Noting the look of mischief in the Dwarf-Prince's eye that he had already grown fond of , Thranduil beamed and decided to press the matter. "Why not?" He waited almost eagerly on Kíli's response, before adding "Oh, Sam's my Elk."

Kili smirked. "Fili and I went on to scout ahead of the hunting party. Long story short, we managed to bring down a warg. We then placed it next to Uncle's sleeping mat and put the head facing him, then hid up a tree. Apparently the scream could be heard for miles. Really worth the boredom of the Library." He grinned, remembering the high pitched noise that Thorin had emitted when he woke up. "The Moose thing you ride? I am not riding that. Have you got any ponies?" He asked frowning.

That's sounds priceless." Thranduil genuinely laughed, picturing Thorin's reaction himself before laughing a little harder. "What's wrong with the Elk? He's majestic." His smile faded a little.

"It was." Kili smiled. "I have no qualms about it's Majesty, it's just too high off the floor. I am not riding it, however majestic it is."

"Why not? I'd keep you safe. I'd say I've proved an adequate guardian thus far." The Elven king cocked an eyebrow. "Height has nothing to do with it. You rode my horse yesterday."

"Doesn't mean I liked it." Kili argued. "Horses, or Mooses for that matter, just aren't Dwarf friendly. Too high off the ground and you have to ride with someone else, making it harder to shoot arrows at your target." _Not afraid of heights. I'm not afraid of heights, just weary that there's no space beneath my feet._

Thranduil paused for a moment to consider this argument. "This place wasn't built for Dwarfs." He grunted, rubbing his toned chest a little. "There are some ponies. If you're positive you won't ride Sam. It makes you feel superior to everything, it's incredible."

"I did notice." Kili muttered, taking in the surroundings. "I'd be happier riding a pony thanks, much nicer."

Quirking an eyebrow at this response, Thranduil sighed with defeat. "Fine. When would you want to go?"

"When are you leaving?" Kili asked, looking forward to actually hunting. He hadn't been allowed out on a hunt after the trick with the warg and he had found himself restless in the mountain. That was why in the end he went to the Blue Mountains, but that proved to be even worse than Erebor after Dis had decided he was to sit on a council. Not that he minded of course, but it just got a bit irritating when he was deemed too young to say anything of value. After a month of this, he left the Blue Mountains and made his way back to Erebor, and that had left him in Thranduil's care.

Thranduil smiled at the Dwarf, who was currently sporting a fond and thoughtful look. "I'm not sure, possibly tomorrow afternoon. I have…one or two things to take care of." He said with a frown

Kili snapped out of his trance,_ I am not a Greenleaf, why am I suddenly going into trances? …Oh Mahal, it's contagious_ he thought, smiling back at the elf. "Sounds like fun. Anything I can help with?" he asked.

"No, no. Definitely not." Thranduil snapped defensively. He daren't let Kíli find out. Not yet. It was quite frankly embarrassing. Giving his expression a moment to soften, he added "Thank you for the offer, though."

Kili held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. No problem, it's obviously important. I was thinking of going to get something to eat anyway. I must admit, when you said there would be food, I didn't think there would be that much around. I don't know. I think I'll sleep for little bit first anyway." he rambled, jumping from thought thought and unintentionally voicing them.

Thranduil's eyes clouded with panic. "Yes, you should sleep. Sleep a lot. You look quite tired, are you tired? I definitely am. I may actually sleep instead. I mean, I am King, right? I - I should be able to live how I please. And that's where you'll find me. In my bed. Because I'll definitely be just completely comatose. Just like you." He ranted almost frantically, adopting the demeanor of an Elfling in trouble.

Kili quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "You're so cute when you're flustered." He mocked, chuckling to himself. Well he hoped he was mocking… "I'll stay here and sleep for a while then as you go do what you want to do because you are king and should be able to do as you please." He smiled.

"I…cute?" The Elvenking seemed slightly perplexed. "I'm going to sleep. I'm…I'm tired." He had calmed down a little now, trying to mask the anxiety that clutched at him internally. "I…"

Kili rolled his eyes and smiled at the frantic looking king. "Look, I'll get something to at in the morning if that would make you feel any better about it." He soothed, leaning towards Thranduil.

Thranduil's attempt to lean further back into the chair with a little fear failed, seeming to Kíli as a small grunt and slight movement. He felt slightly eased by the tone of Kíli's voice. "Fret not. If you're hungry, get some food."

"I'll wait for a bit. You're right, I am sleepy. I'll see you. In the morning then?" _Two options here Kili, follow Thrandy (When did he start subconsciously calling him that?) And see what he was up to, risking his newfound friendship with the elf, or actually go to sleep_. As tempting as the first one was, he would have to go with the latter, albeit grudgingly.

Sighing a little with relief, Thranduil smiled gently at Kíli and stood to leave. "Very well. Tenna' san'." He bowed a little and began to walk.

"Night." Kili called after the king, lying down in the bed, considering just when you could class the day as morning. "After midnight I guess…" He muttered, curling into the covers and making himself a cocoon shaped nest.

Sighing to himself and closing the heavy door, Thranduil smiled, strolling toward the kitchens.

-oOo-

Author's note

Rukhsul menu - You offspring of an orc

Tenna' san' - Until then

Thanks for reading!

Tanith and Tam


	10. The Pie Maker

The Elvenking hummed peacefully as he gathered all the ingredients. Butter, flour, sugar and salt. Skirting around the work top to reach a tea towel, he chuckled to himself and wiped down the surfaces, and broke out into a whistle. When baking he could truly let himself go. He wasn't a king, or a father - as much as he loved both - and nothing was expected of him. When baking, Thranduil was just a guy baking pies. He continued the melodic song as he combined all the ingredients, kneading them with his hands and trying to keep it to a minimalistic level so as not to wake anyone. As he began to slice the apples, he thought of Kíli. Just a random thought, seemingly from nowhere…the young Dwarf's creativity, the smirk on his face when the Elflings went frantic. It was a poignant moment as Thranduil smiled, until he sliced his finger on the knife. Letting a small exclamation escape him, he wiped the blood on his apron and knotted a small rag around it to compress it. When, finally, all components were ready, pie completely decorated, Thranduil slipped it onto the flaming stove and began work on the second one, with the original beaming smile no weaker than before. He was glowing.

Kili woke up to the smell of apples drifting through the walls. /it must be past midnight now. That classes as morning, right?/ He told himself as he swung his legs out of the bed and put his shoes on, ready to follow the frankly beautiful smell through the corridors.

Almost oblivious to the world around him, Thranduil pulled the-baked-to-perfection pie from the stove and smelled it, grin spreading. He placed in on the work top and continued to knead the second batch of pastry, humming still despite himself.

Kili walked towards the Kitchen, stopping briefly to consider waking up Thranduil, but he seemed so concerned when he wanted to go eat. He left the idea alone and continued his way to the kitchens. After taking two wrong turnings and hitting a dead end (really, he had the directional sense of his uncle, no sense at all. He usually relied on Fili for this.), He found his way to the Kitchens.

Thranduil stopped dead in his work, his Elf-ears detecting the shuffling of feet not far from him. Panicking silently and frantically flailing his arms, he ran to the work top and leaped over it, almost catching his leg. He crouched on the floor, completely out of sight, and awaited the intruder.

Kili walked towards the door and knocked before swinging it wide open. "Hello? Anyone here?" Receiving no answer, he walked inside towards the workbench and the ovens. He looked wistfully at the pie that was freshly cooked on the table and took note of the one that was residing in the oven. Giving into temptation, he cut a slice from the Apple pie and placed it on a mat that he pulled out of a cupboard. He took a bite and sighed at the spectacular taste that he got from it, that reminded him all too well that pie was home. After finishing his slice, he checked the pie in the oven and brought it out to cool on the side. Resolving to find out who it was that cooked the pies of heaven, he turned and walked out of the kitchen and back to his room. It was a pity that he didn't think of looking onto the other side of the workbench however, because he would have taken great delight in seeing a frantic elven king sat in a ball, trying to keep calm as Kili pottered about the kitchen.

Waiting a good 5 minutes or so before the Dwarf had made his way out of the vast kitchen, Thranduil finally began to breathe again and eased himself up. "Tanya nae n'quel…" He muttered to himself before glancing over to the crumbled pie. "Cheeky git."

-oOo-

Author's note:  
Tanya nae n'quel - That was not good.

Bit of an interlude there, fun to write all the same.  
As always, Thanks for reading!  
Tanith and Tam.


	11. How to train your Princeling

There is no other way to say it; Kili was bored. He had been awake since he had found the pie in the kitchen and as far as he knew, Thrandy, **_no,_** Thranduil was still asleep, and even if he wasn't, he didn't even know where the King's rooms were. Sighing, he walked out of his rooms to go search for the training grounds. After a while, he had found Legolas, who was really starting to grow on him when you got past the vacant looks that the boy threw out at every moment, and followed him to the training grounds where he was left in peace by most while he trained on the archery range.

"My father seems to have a growing fondness for you." Legolas smiled faintly as he watched the Dwarf expertly fire a few arrows. "Not for centuries has a Dwarf set foot in these borders. Not as a guest, at least."

"I don't know. It's well overdue anyway. Erebor was retaken years ago and nothing has made to fuel hatred other than the Older dwarves, eg my Uncle's grudge. It's petty really." Kili remarked, nocking another arrow, pulling the well waxed bowstring back to his cheek and shooting it towards the target in one fluid movement.

Joining Kíli, the Elf prince continued the dialogue casually. "Most Dwarfs I know of would uphold the old ways, such is their stubbornness. But not you. Why so?" He quirked an eyebrow as he nocked his own arrow.

_Well, well. You're not as vacant as you look…_ "I was never told the elvish half of the tale until a few days ago, then your father and I fended off a warg pack. To be perfectly honest, Erebor was a long time ago. It was time to create an alliance and Thranduil has been a good friend to me. I have no grudges against him, nor your race.. Except the Elves of Rivendell. They obviously have no idea what meat is and their taste in music leaves something to be desired." Kili said as he shot the last arrow from his quiver and waited for Legolas to shoot his last to call fast and collect the arrows.

"The Elves of Rivendell leave a lot to be desired in general." Legolas chuckled fondly as he collected the arrows. "I trust Ada has told you the story of Lord Elrond's forehead? And I'm glad that you've decided to put the past in the past. Perhaps even one day Elves and Dwarfs could interbreed." He winked at Kíli.

"You know, I don't think he has." Kili smirked as he handed Legolas one of his arrows that had embedded itself into the straw target. Throwing a look over his shoulder just in time to see the prince wink at him, Kili stopped pulling out an arrow from the archery butt to look at Legolas. _Oh Mahal, He better not be coming onto me.. No, that's not it. That look in his eye, that's the same look I get when I'm plotting. This cannot end well_. "Well, uh right. Yes, I guess so. That would be… Uh… Yes. I should introduce you to Gimli, he has the same humour as you. I think you'd get on like a house on fire." He said, turning quickly back towards the butt and managing to pull out the rest of the arrows that had found a home there.

"Oh, it's a hell of a rumour. That he believes excessive consumption of vegetables will cause his infinite forehead to grow in length. And this Gimli sounds somewhat interesting." Legolas laughed at the anxious look in Kíli's eye.

"Now for some reason, I don't doubt it." Kili chuckled, walking back to the safety line and picked up his bow again. "Gimli's great, once you get to know him. He may be a bit overbearing at first, but you get used to it."

Legolas drew his sword eagerly, and urged Kíli to do the same. "I'm used to overbearing. I was quite the extrovert myself, as an Elfling." He stood with a smile on his face for a while, before adding "Are you good with a sword?"

Kili chucked at the elf, unstrung his bow and placed it against the wall marking the start of the archery range. He drew his sword and smirked up at the Elf. "I'm good enough to hold my own."

"Let's test that, shall we?" The Elf smirked, as he lunged swiftly at the Dwarf.

Kili blocked the attack by pushing it off to the left and whacked the Elf lightly on the knees with the flat of his blade. He stepped back and started up a rhythm of four attacks (left shoulder, left knee, right shoulder right knee) trying to lull the Elf into a false sense of security. Without warning, Legolas started to push the dwarf back by walking towards him, fainting a hit to a shoulder and aiming for the knee instead, with Kili only just able to block it. _I've had enough of this. An Elf, friend or not, is not going to beat me this easily._ He thought before throwing in a head shot that was more like a chest shot for Legolas, which when blocked threw him off balance. Legolas smirked at him, before moving quickly to hook his foot behind Kili's knees, resulting in a pile of dwarf on the floor with Legolas smirking down at him.

Pointing the sword at Kíli's throat, a mocking grin spread upon Legolas' delicate features. "A valiant effort, young Dwarf, but I fear you've been beat." With that he laughed and extended a hand.

Kili accepted the offer of a hand up and when standing, he smirked at the elf. "That was a good fight. Who taught you to fight like that?" He asked, picking up his sword from the floor and sheathing it again.

"Ada. Most are trained by the head marchwarden, but being the Prince, he wanted to train me personally. I hate to boast, but he is an excellent fighter." Legolas smiled fondly at the thought of his Father - his all time hero - and sheathed his own sword.

"I saw him fight against a pack of orcs. He was very good, I must admit," Kili smiled, remembering the Elf shouting back 'you can have the wargs'. _Git_. "if a little sadistic." He muttered.

Legolas cocked his head slightly in thought. "Yes, you can't survive as many battles as he has without being a little maniacal. But it's only when he fights. He can be a very gentle person."

"He has been." Kili smiled, thinking back to the past two days. "Did you get caught in the paint yesterday?" He asked, walking over to collect his bow from the wall.

"Yes. I blame you for that entirely. It's still in my hair, thank you very much." Legolas leaned against a wall and retrieved his own bow. He smiled to himself.

Kili smirked and looked at Legolas' Hair, noticing a few blobs of green and pink splattered across it. "Well, Thranduil _did _make a bet. He managed to get it all out of his hair, even though he was covered in it all. I still have no idea how he managed it. I've still got some bits on my skin."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Legolas almost jumped. "You - you addressed him by his first name." He ran his hands through his hair almost nervously. To the extent of his knowledge, only the King's closest friends and relatives would do that.

"Well.. That is his name isn't it? He hasn't said anything before when I called him that." Kili said, walking towards Legolas. "Why, what do people usually call him?" He asked curiously,

"Yes…but…" Legolas began uneasily, straightening himself up. "Most people address him as 'My King', or 'Your Majesty.' Much like in Erebor. Never by his first name. You must…really get along…"

"I guess so. If I called him The King would it put you at ease?" Kili asked. _Thranduil had never said anything to me before about it,_ he pondered._ Even at the start when he pointed that blasted arrow at my chest. He also seemed surprised when I called him 'My king', so he doesn't seem to mind…_

Legolas pondered this for a moment before he sought to speak. "No, not at all. If he doesn't mind it then you must be doing something right." He smiled and shook his head. "He seems happier as of late."

Kili smiled at Legolas and started to walk towards the gate of the training grounds. "Should I be calling you My Prince then, as you are Thranduil's heir?" He asked, smirking at the Elf. _If he say yes, he can get stuffed._

"No." The Elf Prince smiled back casually. "Any friend of my Father's is a friend of mine."

Kili smiled back at the prince and they walked along in companionable silence. "I know what I was going to ask you, There was Pie in the Kitchens last night freshly baked, but no sign of a baker. Any ideas on to who it is?"

Legolas glanced down to the floor, averting Kíli's gaze. "No-one I know of bakes pies." He laughed, quirking an eyebrow.

"There was definitely someone baking pies. They were apple ones. I _Know _that for a fact. It was just past midnight when I went down there." Kili said, slightly confused. "It wasn't a dream, the pies were too nice."

"Maybe you should ask Ada. Nothing goes on here without his knowing. I have to help train some Elflings…perhaps we can continue this later?" Legolas lay a hand on Kíli's shoulder and squeezed gently, a sign of farewell.

"Of course. A rematch perhaps is in order." Kili smiled, tilting his head forward in farewell and turning to walk towards the palace. _I'm starting to like that elf._

__-oOo-

Author's note:

Okay. So we will admit that we freaked with the trailer, and that we spent a good hour *cough*days*cough*still going*cough* fangirling over it on facebook/twitter/tumblr. On reflection, this is an ooc Thranduil, but then again, it is an au.

As always, thanks for reading!

Tam and Tanith.


	12. We Spend a lot of Time in Beds & Chairs

Thranduil woke with that sense of security you always get within the first mili-seconds of consciousness. His worries are momentarily carried away, he stirred a little and gathered the blankets up to his bare chest. Then everything pooled into his mind again. He remembered his narrowly avoided encounter with Kíli early that morning and groaned audibly, burying his face in the pillow.

Kili, however, was lost. Again. Seriously, he had been here three days now and he couldn't even find his way back to his room. There must be something in the whole 'Durins have the directional sense of a spoon' after all. He found himself face to face with a frankly extravagant door next to a lesser but still-unnecessarily-extravagant door. He knocked on the former and waited for an answer.

Broken from his morning-fatigue-induced trance by a sharp knock, Thranduil rolled over and grunted wearily. With this he exposed most of his body, blankets intertwined between his thighs. "Come in." He managed, oblivious to his vulnerability.

"Here you are," Kili said closing the door and then turned to look at the king. "I was…" Kili trailed off, turning around, opening the door and promptly walking out of it.

Thranduil's eyes widened rapidly and infinitely as he came to his senses. He tried to yell but no words would escape him as he clasped at the bedding to cover him. "I'm sorry! I was half asleep! I'm sorry…I didn't mean for that to happen!" He managed finally, after much trial and error in his head. "I'm sorry!" He added.

Kili turned around and shut the door. "Good morning" he smirked, dragging a chair towards the bed and climbing onto it. "Sorry about all that, I got lost on the way back to my room and thought I may as well see if you were awake been as it's nearly 10 in the morning."

The rough expression on Thranduil's face softened as Kíli smirked. "It is morning…which means I have to get up. Marvelous." He sighed, collapsing onto his back. "We seem to spend a lot of time in chairs and on beds." He smiled as he rested his arms behind his head.

"Yes, but there's not been much to do. Today… we're still going hunting, right?" He asked, bringing puppy dog eyes into play, just in case he said no.

"I'm not sure…you don't seem too keen on the idea." Thranduil taunted, noting the hopeful look in Kíli's deep eyes.

"Thranduil stop it. I am not going to beg." He said, flipping the Elf off. "Oh, I saw Legolas this morning. He told me to ask you because he didn't know when I asked him, if anyone uses the kitchens to bake pies in the early hours of the morning of the apple variety. Any ideas?"

Thranduil tried to conceal the redness that spread upon his face with the soft pillow, the fabric muffling his reply slightly. "I don't know anyone who bakes pies in the whole of Mirkwood." He lied. "And we will go hunting."

_Maybe I'm going mad…_ "Perhaps it was a dream then." He muttered. He perked up slightly at the promise of hunting and turned to look at the King. "What in Aulë are you doing?" He asked as Thranduil continued to seem to be smothering himself with a pillow.

_Valar…_he thought, burying himself deeper into the pillow. "I doubt you dreamed it. That would be a silly dream." He muttered, waiting for the persistent blush to fade away. To no avail, so far.

"A good one all the same." Kili smiled. He jumped off of the chair and dragged it over to the window to look out. It was a nice view of the square which still had some splotches of paint that had point blank refused to come off.

After a minute or so of playing it safe, Thranduil turned onto his back and faced the ceiling. He twiddled his thumbs and sighed a few times before finally attempting speech. "Kíli?"

Kili turned and sat on the chair. Congratulating himself on not loosing his balance and consequently falling off the chair, he looked over at Thranduil. "What's up?"

Sighing once again for good measure, the Elvenking averted Kíli's gaze and quirked his brow faintly. "Do you think me genuine? Or have you reservations still?"

"Genuine? Reservations about what? What do you mean? Expand?" He asked, genuinely confused about the question he was being asked.

"Do you think I'm genuine, or are you still weary of me as you were a few days ago?" Thranduil turned on his side to gaze at Kíli finally, his quirked brow was now a little more intense, and he seemed curious with an element of seriousness.

"To be perfectly honest with you, I stopped being weary after you stopped pointing an arrow at my chest. And you offered me food, that was a good move right there. The way to a dwarf's heart is through food… Well that's what I've always believed." Kili said thoughtfully, reclining in the chair. "Why, what's made you think to ask?"

Thranduil stopped to think, pondering the reason for his inquiry. "Well," He pulled himself up, trying to keep the blankets as far up as possible. "I suppose I was just wondering. I'm not even quite sure why…"

Kili quirked an eyebrow but said nothing as he watched Thranduil bunch up the covers. "What do you think of me then? I mean most people think me immature and too young to understand."

"I think in all seriousness," Thranduil paused to question his thoughts. "That you are an admirable young man with the potential to change your kingdom for the better. I believe that you will make a great King when your time comes."

Kili smiled at the king and sighed. "I doubt I will get the crown. Fili is the next in line, and he will take a consort if he hasn't got a wife already. Then his sons will inherit the crown, and I will likely be shipped off somewhere to be a representative of Erebor." _Kili stop this before you get emotional. Stop now, leave it there._ "It's probable that I'll end up in the Blue Mountains or the Iron Hills. Mahal could really decide to bugger me and I could end up in Rohan, Erid Luin or, Aulë forbid, Rivendell." Kili shuddered. _We have reached self pity central, all ashore who's going ashore, and that means you Kili Durin_. he thought, putting his face in his hands.

"Hey," Thranduil sat up completely on the edge of the bed, reaching over to pat Kíli on the shoulder. "Your brother loves you. He will keep you by his side no matter what. If you don't get the crown you will still remain of the utmost importance in Erebor. And if all else fails, you have a home here." He soothed, squeezing the Dwarf's arm gently.

Kili leaned into Thranduil's touch and ran his hand through his hair. "Thank you, but one day, he'll end up either a worse version of Gloin or he'll succumb to the gold sickness that runs true to my kind. I think I'd much rather stay here…" Kili said slowly.

Thranduil squeezed a little tighter. This surprised him, somewhat. This bombardment of emotions that he hadn't prepared himself for. Especially from Kíli. He cleared his throat and smiled. "So, I bet you I'll hunt more than you."

Kili lifted his head up as his brain slowly processed the last five minutes. "You can try." He smirked. "When do we leave?" He asked, jumping off of the chair again.

Relieved that the trademark smirk had returned, Thranduil remained in his place and almost wistfully shook his head. "Not for a while, yet. It's early."

Kili scowled at the elf. "Thranduil, it must be at least 11 o'clock by now." He said, poking his arm. "Tell me how the hell this is early."

"I'm tired. I was up late last night." Thranduil smiled to himself softly and tugged Kíli's arm playfully. "This is early because I was late. But if you're really eager to go, I could ready Sam."

Kili smiled at the King and walked to the door. "If you do that, I'll head to the kitchens to see if there's any more pie left.. I'll meet you in the square in half an hour?"

_Damn. I wanted that…_Thranduil thought to himself before smiling back. "Of course. I'll get dressed." He reached for the fresh shirt laid out on the side. "You definitely want a pony?"

"Yes, a pony will do fine thanks." He said, walking towards the door. _Don't like heights, don't like heights._

Thranduil nodded and pulled the shirt over his head, watching Kíli as he left. "Damn Dwarf. Eating my pie and I can't even say anything. I'm the king." He muttered moodily and got up, beginning a search for his trousers.

-oOo-

Author's note:

Well. That was an interesting chapter to write. We don't even know where Kili's self pity scheme came in, it's almost like we want something to happen, yet the characters go the completely wrong direction. Hey ho.

Hope you enjoyed,

Tanith and Tam


	13. Oo-de-laly, Oo-de-laly, Golly what a day

Kili walked towards the square with two pieces of pie in his hands. One to show he wasn't mad and one to eat. He planned on giving the other to Thranduil though, that or Legolas if he met him first. He walked over to the wall he sat on while watching the elflings decorate the square (_kudos to the elves though, they've managed to get it all off, bar a few spots_) and waited for Thranduil to appear.

Leading his Elk by the reigns, Thranduil made his way into the square with the stable boy close behind and leading Kíli's pony. He smiled and stroked his pet's nose, as any loving owner would, and kept his smile as he spotted Kíli. With his pie. He was going to have to get over that soon or he would beg Thorin to take him back.

Kili smirked at Thranduil and handed him one of the slices. "There you go. Told you there was pie." He said, walking towards the Stable boy and taking hold of the pony's reigns, exchanging the pie over to him as he climbed on, frowning at the height from the floor it made him. Taking the pie back and thanking the elf, he looked up at the Elk and raised an eyebrow. "Thank god I'm not riding him. He's massive."

Grinning at Kíli's slightly intimidated expression, Thranduil petted Sam again. "He's not so bad. A little unamoosed, but he's harmless." He chuckled and handed the slice of pie back. "I'm not hungry, thank you."

"I'm sure he's lovely, just a bit too tall thanks." He remarked, turning the pony around and next to Sam. "Unamoosed? Is that a technical term?" He frowned and accepted the pie. "More for me then." He said happily, digging into the first slice.

"Damn pie." Thranduil muttered under his breath, inaudible to most. He mounted the hulking moose expertly and cocked his head thoughtfully. "No, just a silly thing. Maybe I don't suit puns."

"Ah I see where you're coming from, puns are amazing though. Everybody needs puns in their life." _Especially uncle. He wouldn't know what a pun was is it ran naked through the halls of Erebor. _He thought, signaling to the pony to start moving towards the gates. "I'm just a bit slow, that's all." He said between mouthfuls of pie.

Imitating Kíli and jerking the reins, Thranduil smiled. "You seem to be enjoying that." He laughed and stroked the Elk's matted fur, falling into a bit of a trance.

"What can I say? Nice food equals pleased Kili." He said, finishing off the first slice and starting on the second. Biting into the pie, he looked over at Thranduil. _Oh Mahal save me_. "THRANDUIL!"

Thranduil jumped, startled, and seemed a little angry. If only for a moment. "Valar, I was out for a second. And I was only thinking that my Elk needs a wash!" He huffed a little and glared.

"Yes, but that will then turn into 'I wonder when I'll be able to do that? Where will the water come from? What's the meaning of life?'" He scowled, finishing off the pie. "Elves." He muttered, low enough so Thranduil wouldn't be able to hear it.

"What was that?" Thranduil whipped his head up and smirked. "You know I have sensitive hearing. And I've been told I'm quite focused. My son has it worse off than me. And I can't for the life of me think of where that pie came from." He lied thoughtfully. He had become pretty good at concealing it already.

Kili flipped Thranduil off and scowled. "You would, wouldn't you. I agree that Legolas does drift off into the distance, but really, how do you manage to get through the day?!" He said, speeding the pony up slightly. "I don't know. There was no one there anyway. I'm going to chalk it up to one of life's mysteries." _Although I __**will **__go down again tomorrow to see if they've made any more._

Thranduil looked into the distance…to the dense and vast forest beyond the gates. "I love my kingdom." He sighed dreamily, before urging the Elk into a canter. "Are you just going to stay there?!" He yelled back with a laugh, platinum hair blowing in the wind.

Kili tried to get the Pony into anything more than a trot, but it seemed that it was having none of it. _Just my luck, I've been saddled with a Pony with mood swings. Great. _"Please Move, Please go a bit quicker," He pleaded, "Otherwise Thrandu-!"

"Well, well. What do we have here? A Dwarf in Mirkwood? I've just seen the pretty King ride by. That's not safe is it? Locke, Tie him up and put him by the campfire, Then we go after the pretty one."

* * *

Flipping his head briefly to look behind him, Thranduil grew even more concerned at Kíli's absence. How could he let himself do this? _You don't just lose a guest, Thranduil. He's just behind you. Obviously you're just panicking. Wait, why are you panicking? What do you care if he's in trouble. Well, he's nice, and ten times more the Dwarf than his uncle will ever be. Thranduil, stop battling with yourself and keep your eyes on the path. Knowing you you'll crash into a tree. You're like that when you're flustered._ During this internal battle, in which the Elven king had not looked ahead as he had told himself to do, two black clad bandits had managed to startle a relatively unamused Elk, causing the frantic creature to throw Thranduil off of him. He let out an exclamation of pain and panic, before feeling a swift blow to the head and blacking out.

* * *

Kili watched as they dragged Thranduil's body towards him, and tied the unconscious Elf to Kili's back. _Well,_ he thought as he watched the two highwaymen potter around the campfire, _I'm dead_. "So… Locke and.. I didn't catch your name?" _That's right Kili, make polite conversation with your soon to be killers, because that makes so much sense._

"His name's Kheldar. We're partners in this little…escapade." The Locke smirked underneath the scarf he used to disguise himself, securing the bonds between Kíli and the limp Elf. "This is delectable. Quite the looker, isn't he?" He referred to Thranduil mockingly.

"Touch him again and I'll f-mmph" Kili managed to say just before Kheldar, who was rather small and slender placed his hand over Kili's mouth, which earned him the glare that belonged to the Durins, The one that sent the heartiest of dwarfs running for the hills.

"Ah, no swearing. We don't like swearing around this campfire." Kheldar scolded, removing his hand from Kili's face before going around to inspect the unconscious Thranduil.

"You fudging touch him or me again, and I'll fudging kill you!" Kili warned, nudging Thranduil's arm, trying to wake him up. _Please, Thranduil, come on wake up._

Again came the antagonizing chortle of Locke. "I'd like to see you try. It would be rather amusing. Such a little creature up against us." He sat down on a log around the fire and stared at his masterpiece, examining every last detail of it. "I think we did a good job here, eh Khel?" The other grunted a little in response.

_Oh good._ Kili thought._ At least they're civilised. Wouldn't want to be held hostage by a captor who doesn't value words over sounds when answering a question. I've seen trolls with more brain cells._ "Little?! I can hold my own thank you very much!" He protested, trying to get at his knife that he kept in his pouch to help them get out of the bonds.

Groaning painfully, Thranduil slowly became aware of the world around him…and the throbbing pain on the back of his head. "…Kíli?" He managed wearily, trying to rub his head with his bound hands.

"Thank Aulë you're alive. Thranduil, I have honestly never been so happy to hear your voice." Kili smiled, finding the elf's hand and lightly squeezing it.

Trying above everything to squeeze back, if only a little, and smiling faintly despite the situation, Thranduil mumbled "Are…you okay?" Before Kheldar wrenched his head up. _Bandits…marvelous._

"I see you're up, your Majesty." Kheldar snickered rudely. "Welcome to our humble abode."

* * *

Kili scowled at the idiot sat by the campfire that tied him up. _I'm going after you first, then I'm going after Kheldar for ignoring me. Enjoy your time left gentlemen._

"This one seems a bit annoyed Kheldar. What I want to know is why a Dwarf is riding in Mirkwood with an Elf, their sworn enemy. Care to expand?" Locke smirked, poking the fire with a stick.

_I'll show you annoyed. _Kili fumed, but keeping his mouth shut for once as he finally reached his knife.

His dizziness finally wearing off, Thranduil sighed with relief as his bonds were cut, making sure to keep his hands behind him so as not to make the bandits suspicious. "What business is it of yours that a Dwarf is in Mirkwood?" He demanded sternly, every bit the king.

"It's all academic of course, It's a well known fact Dwarves hate Elves. But I know your name, pretty boy, so _shhh_ and let small speak." Kheldar said, letting the shh linger for a while before carrying on with his sentence.

_Academic my arse. _Kili muttered, waiting on a moment to throw the knife straight at Locke's throat. "Ori. Now what is it to you?" He asked, glaring over the hook nosed man who was trailing circles over their shoulders.

"Pretty boy? I am your King. And deserve to be treated as such." Thranduil growled, glaring at Kheldar menacingly. "You're lucky I haven't yet cut you to shreds and fed you to my Elk."

"Sorry _King_ pretty boy, but you're not my king. I have no king, only a warden who is currently out of his mind." Kheldar smirked, grabbing Thranduil's chin again, while still looking at Kili. "Locke, Have you checked them for possessions yet?" He shouted.

"I should have guessed you weren't under my rule. You lack more grace than a Drunken Troll." Thranduil sneered venomously, and spat in Kheldar's face. "And if you lay another hand on me, or my companion, I will not hesitate to brutally disembowel you. I will give you one more chance. Who are you, and what do you want of us?"

"We are but simple bandits looking for a jackpot, and when a simple bandit sees a Elf Lord and a dwarf riding with each other ride past our humble abode, I can assure you that this is the mother-load do highway robberies." Locke explained as he walked towards Kili. "Right then… Ori? Let's see what you've got then."

Locke's hand touched Kili's shoulder, before Kili drove the knife into his torso and pushed him back before getting to his feet and punching Kheldar in the face before leaving him to Thranduil and went to go finish Locke off. "I _did_ warn you. People really should start listening to me."

Left startled at Kíli's valour for a moment, Thranduil drew his own dagger and let out a battle-cry, startling his soon-to-be victim. Kheldar drew his own sword and slashed out vigorously, and metal met metal in a full blown feud. A lunge here, a parry there, sparks almost flew off the steel as the battle intensified. "You're not so bad for a whelp!" Thranduil yelled over the commotion, slicing Kheldar's upper-arm.

"Well it's nice to fight someone who actually knows what they're doing for once. My late friend had no idea how to use a sword. Who taught you how to fight?" Kheldar asked, still blocking and attacking, managing to nick Thranduil's leg.

Kili slit Locke's throat to make sure he was truly dead, and picked up his bow and his sword from the campfire._ They're having so much fun over there, it would be a shame to interrupt them_. Kili pondered, watching his friend slowly gain ground on the bandit.

"My father before me! And you should fear my son in the fut -" Thranduil was cut off, feeling the pain of the bandit's blow. He felt the chunky sword of Kheldar's drive straight into his shoulder in once swift move, and his knees toppled beneath him. He managed an Elvish curse before using his other arm to slice the bandit's knees and plunge his dagger into his heart, with what energy he had.

_Shit_. Kili ran over to Thranduil, and crouched down next to him. He ripped a piece of linen from his shirt and started to make a makeshift bandage for the wound, whist putting pressure on it and batting away the Elf's hands as he bandaged it up. "You're going to have a nice scar there." He smiled, standing up and stepping back to give Thranduil some room.

He completely zoned out for a moment, staring at the dying body of Kheldar with wide, ominous eyes, before screwing up his face in agony. "My. God, this hurts. So badly." He clutched his shoulder and fell face first into the ground, spouting some obscene Elven curses, the ground muffling his hisses of pain.

"Come on, the pony's bolted and I know you can call the moose back. We need to get you to a healer and quick unless you want a permanent scar there." He said, pulling him up into a sitting position. _Looks like I'm going to have to ride that thing after all..._

"Now how in the darkest depths of Mordor do I call an Elk that could be halfway to Imladris right now when I'm in this much pain?! You try getting a damn cleaver through your shoulder and summoning an animal!" The ElvenKing yelled frantically, more out of desperation than spite. He sighed briefly and glanced at Kíli. "I'm sorry. I think of what to do."

Kili kept a level head through Thranduil's words and thought back to the day he met him. "You whistled last time and a horse came. Can't you do that again?" He asked as he tried to get the elf on his feet. "We're quite a way from mirkwood now."

Thranduil rolled his eyes. "That's such a long shot…" He brought a pale hand to his mouth and took a deep breath, creating a whistle to startle even the deafest of men. Much to his surprise, his Elf-ears picked up on the canter of hooves.

"You're going to have to ride on without me if it comes, I can't get up there." He explained, managing to support the Elf by throwing an arm around his waist. "I can walk back to Mirkwood, it would only take me a couple of hours. In the meantime, you get that wound seen to alright?"

"Ni lassui, mellon, but I don't want you walking alone here. What if you're ambushed by more bandits? What if you can't defend yourself as well as before?" Thranduil glanced at the direction from which the Elk was coming anxiously. "You'll get hurt…"

"Trust me, Thranduil, I'll be fine. Now, I can hear the Elk coming, so you'll be fine. As for me, I'll stick to the path and I'll be alright." Kili said, watching the Elk ride into the clearing and trot over to where they were standing and helped Thranduil up onto the moose.

Thranduil looked at Kíli with great concern. "Please. Would it change your mind if I begged on my knees?" He whined a little, smiling despite himself. "I would feel a lot better. I'll lift you up."

_Moose or walk, Moose or walk… I am so going to regret this._ "Fine. But you are not lifting me with that shoulder." He sighed, looking up at the seriously unamused animal.

"I can, I have another arm, and still support in this one. How else will you get up?" Thranduil asked thoughtfully, jumping down from his mount swiftly and patting it on the side. "Nothing ever phases him."

"You could have steered him towards a tree and I could have climbed the tree and dropped on to his back from there." Kili explained, getting ready to be pulled from his rightful place on the floor to ridiculous heights.

Thranduil looked at Kíli with an element of frustration. "Why did I not think of that?" He complained, readying himself to boost Kíli up. He crouched and knotted his hands, forming a kind of step for the Dwarf.

"Because you're not thinking like a dwarf. We have to think of these things on a daily basis." He said, putting his foot warily onto Thranduil's hands, not wanting to put his full weight onto them.

"Depending how long you stay here." Thranduil smirked, grunting as he helped Kíli to mount the beast. Wedging his own foot into the stirrup and swinging his leg over, he found himself behind Kíli.

Kili grabbed on to the reigns for dear life. "Dear Aulë save me from this… Why the hell did that pony have to bolt?! Seriously!" He muttered, curling in on himself.

Wrapping his stronger arm securely around Kíli, Thranduil gripped the rein. "Don't worry, you won't fall off." He laughed, before commanding the Elk in his native tongue to move. Before long it had broken into a trot.

-oOo-

Author's note:

Ni lassui - I'm glad/Thank you  
Mellon - Friend

Well... thoughts anyone? Constructive criticism is welcomed.

Thanks for reading,

Tanith and Tam.


	14. Sauron in Elk form

Kili grabbed onto Thranduil's arm for dear life as the Moose sped out of the clearing. _I could have walked. Why couldn't I walk. It wouldn't have… oh Mahal that's a long way down. _He thought, shuffling closer to Thranduil and closing his eyes. _Bloody Ponies. Did they __**have**__ to bolt?! Aulë save me.. or Thranduil save me. Whatever._

"It's okay, I have you." Thranduil soothed with a smile, holding a little tighter and trying to ignore the searing pain throbbing in his ligament. "Just keep your eyes closed and we'll be there in a heartbeat."

Kili's eyes shot open as he felt the moose jerk and grabbed harder at the material that made up the King's robes. "Nope. Keeping eyes open. Much safer." He said, mainly to reassure himself that he was not going to fall off the animal.

Laughing a little at the Dwarf's desperation, and the firmness with which he clung to the silver robe, Thranduil shook his head. "Kíli." He began, gently resting his chiseled chin on his companion's head. "You will be fine. I'm not going to let you go, the moose isn't going to throw you off."

"It has it's own mind, it might decide it has an immense dislike to me and throw me off." Kili rambled frantically. "Look at it's face. Oh Mahal, that is not the face of an amused moose!"

"Kíli! Enough! It's an Elk, not Sauron in Elk form! It will not unexpectedly turn against you, it has no personal vendetta!" Thranduil said sternly, slowing the Elk down slightly. "Do you not trust me?" He frowned, cocking his head slightly so his cheek was buried in Kíli's thick mass of chocolate brown hair.

"I trust you." Kili said, casting his eyes downwards in defeat before seeing the height difference once again ans shot them back up. _Not natural for a dwarf to be this high off the floor. _"I just really.. hate heights. Comes with - argh - living in a mountain, close to the… TREE!"

Thranduil sighed tiresomely and pulled the Elk into a halt. He gently put his hands on Kíli's heated face and lifted it to his gaze. "You're being silly. Stop panicking." He said softly, seriousness crawling onto his graceful face. He shifted his shoulder slightly and cursed in Elvish.

Kili met the king's gaze and nodded, subconsciously making sure that he wasn't the one aggravating the wound. After his breathing had leveled out, he sat looking up at the trees as to not look down and start panicking again. Thranduil set off, wrapping his arm around him, securing him into place just in front of his chest.

"There, see? It's really not that bad. We're almost at the gates anyway." The Elf cooed, shifting again and wincing. He really tried to mask the pain. He couldn't show too much weakness, and he felt like writhing in agony among the padding of the dead leaves on the ground.

Kili scowled at the Elf, and frowned when he saw him wince. _Need to ask something, take his mind off of it. Ask a stupid question, you seem to be rather good at those. _ "How do you even tell this place apart? It's just trees, and they all look the same." He asked, holding onto the elf's arm again.

Thranduil shook his head and bit his lip. "It's easy enough when you're brought up in it. You learn to study each tree and distinguish between them. They're all different to the trained eye…a tree can tell you a lot. Well, it can tell an Elf a lot."

Kili nodded and thought on this new information. "Like rocks then. Gems, jewels and metals, give me any and I can tell you what it is and if you are being cheated on your products." He said proudly.

Smiling a little, Thranduil rested his chin on Kíli's head again. "That's quite a talent…it's funny you should say that actually. I've recently come into possession of an emerald necklace. Maybe you could tell me something about it. It's from Beorn, so there's half a chance that it's genuine and half a chance that it's a knock off." He reflected on the strange reliability of his forest friend whilst groaning internally at the persistent pain.

"I'll have a look for you once you've been to the infirmary. After the stables, that is our only destination." He said firmly, Tightening his hold on Thranduil's arm, every time there was a low branch or the Elk jerked a bit too much for his taste. _Elks. Never again Kili, Never get on one ever again. _Beorn in usually trustworthy, only every now and again something falls into his hands which isn't and he just sells it on."

"Don't worry about me. I just need to rest." Thranduil lied, keeping his composure and taking a light breath. Spotting the gates not far in front of them, the Elvenking sighed with relief and jerked the reins a little to slow the beast into a trot. "And yes, I've been trading with him for years. He's wonderful."

"Infirmary, no buts." He said, grinning at the sight of the gates of Mirkwood. "Beorn gives me food." He stated simply, finally relaxing into the king's hold, making sure not to go near his injured shoulder, so he didn't cause any more damage to it.

Pulling the Elk to a stop, swinging his leg over and hopping down swiftly, Thranduil gazed up at Kíli. "I'll take care of myself, fusspot." He laughed. "Do you need help getting down?"

**_Fusspot?! Me?!_**"I'll be… uh… Yes. Please." Kili sighed, looking at Thranduil.

Thranduil smirked with a little satisfaction. "Would you like me to do it quickly, or in a way that won't momentarily degrade you?" He asked as his smile disappeared. He lightly rubbed his shoulder, shuddering at the pain it brought him. "Tanya awra…why did I do that?"

"Thranduil, I don't care whether it meant that I had to proclaim a love of Orcs in front of Thorin. Get me off of this thing!" Kili cried desperately. "As long as it doesn't hurt your shoulder any more than it already is, I really don't give a damn! And Why did you do what?" _If I'm staying here, I need to learn Elvish, and fast._

"I rubbed it. I didn't realize how much it would sting…and I think your uncle would be more offended if you proclaimed a love of Elves." Thranduil rubbed his hands together. "Right…" He began, wrapping his hands around Kíli's waist. He waited for the Dwarf to cling to him before lowering him from the moose.

Kili wrapped his arms around Thranduil's neck and felt the beautiful feeling of solid ground underneath him. Thanking Aulë for small miracles, he let go of the Elf's neck and nodded. "Uh thanks." He said with a small smile and walked a bit away from him, remembering how personal space worked in the world. "Uncle probably would hit the roof of the throne room, then go straight through." he chuckled before looking up at the Elvenking. "Infirmary, now."

Chuckling at Kili's concern, Thranduil shook his head, and folded his arms around himself as the warmth left him. "Will you stop panicking about my wound?" He said, walking towards the gates. "Would you want to come along? Perhaps you would learn a thing or two about Elvish medicine. If you're interested." He shrugged and gestured to the watchguards to allow them to enter.

"I'm not panicking. you need to make sure that it's not too bad." He said, glancing at the wound. "I'll come along though. Might come in useful at some point. "At least the bandage held, That would have given it some support at least." He commented, walking beside Thranduil and following him through the gates and into the square.

-oOo-

Tanya awra - That hurt

Thanks for reading,

Tanith and Tam


	15. Incantations and lover-boy elves

Thranduil walked through the halls of the infirmary, Dwarf friend by his side, until they came to a door marked 'Galen.' - Elvish for healer. He knocked sharply and entered, studying the look of horror and shock on the practitioner's face as he noticed the blood soaked bandage wrapped around his King's shoulder. "Av'-osto, Elrindir. It must be healed immediately and expertly. Could you do that for me, mellon ni'n?" He smiled gently as Elrindir pottered about his room, readying his apparatus hurriedly.

Kili slipped around the side of Thranduil and sat on one of the chairs next to the bed, chuckling as he watched his friend get scrutinized by the medical elf.

"Your robe, your majesty, I'll need to get to your bare chest…" Elrindir stuttered, averting his gaze and flustering slightly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Elrindir. We all have chests." Thranduil sighed with a smile and unlaced his robe and his shirt nonchalantly, exposing his torso. He hopped onto the bed and lay down.

Kili chuckled at Elrindir's reaction to Thranduil's chest. _Now he's definitely crushing on Thranduil. Now __**this**__ could be very funny. I wonder how often he comes in here…. _He thought, taking in the sight of Thranduil's bare chest. He really didn't blame Elrindir, Thranduil _was _quite beautiful **_No. Kili. Stop_**_** it**._

Gently, Elrindir unraveled the drenched bandage and gasped with horror. "My Lord, it's so deep!" He cried readying a number of various potions.

"Yes, and it's agonizing. Please could you…" Thranduil trailed off, gesturing towards the bottles with a sense of urgency. With a little embarrassment Elrindir obliged, pouring a liquid from a deep purple vial onto the wound suddenly and whispering Elvish phrases. "FFFFFFFFFFFF - TANYA AWRA, PE - CHANNAS!" Thranduil raged at the searing sensation, trying his hardest not to move.

Kili grimaced at the sight of the wound. _Good job I bandaged that. Mahal knows what could have got in there,_ he thought, watching the Doctor pour the funny coloured_ I-wouldn't-advise-going-near-with-a-ten-foot-barge -pole _Medicine. He closed his eyes as Thranduil shouted either curses or instructions at Elrindir.

Elrindir frowned slightly and tried to keep his bearings, carrying on the spell. "Please, calm down, my King, I'm doing what I -" He began softly, only to be cut off by the Elveking's venomous temper.

"FUCKING CALM DOWN? NIDH, VALAR IT BURNS ELRINDIR!" He was red in the face as he bit his lip and Elrindir poured another acid-like liquid into his skin. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

Kili grimaced and jumped off of the seat. "Elves." He muttered as he picked up a cloth and snatched the bottle that was about to be the next in a line of poured mixtures from the Medic's hand. "Always taking the hard route." He continued as he poured a little onto the cloth. "Seriously they are such idiots at times." He climbed onto the bed next to Thranduil and looked pitifully at the King. "Thranduil, stop swearing and listen to me. This is probably going to sting." He soothed as he started to dab gently at Thranduil's wound. "Well? Carry on with the spell or whatever mumbo-jumbo you were doing earlier."

Thranduil tried to silence himself as Kili dabbed the cloth gently onto his skin, hissing a little despite this attempt. Elrindir stood on the side, a little astounded at the authority that this…_Dwarf _had over his King. "Thank you, Kili." Thranduil managed over the pain, smiling a little. It seemed more bearable now. Elrindir re-assumed his position and softly whispered some more enchantments, repeating the technique that Kili had used. Kili waved his hand in a nonchalant fashion, jumped off the bed again, and sat down on the chair, watching Elrindir carefully so he didn't manage to kill the King in a well meant attempt of helping the king.

Elrindir felt some resentment towards this strange figure, throwing hostile glares at him whenever the Dwarf glanced at Thranduil. _He was the healer here. _Kili gazed at the King protectively, internally cursing the Elf doctor's stupidity and thoughtlessness. Thranduil felt nothing of this, just wanting the pain to go away so he could sleep. Soon the healing process was complete, and he relaxed into the bed with relief.

Kili glared at Elrindir, but kept his mouth shut for the second time today (A record), not wanting another Tauriel argument on his hands. Didn't mean he couldn't glare at the Elf who was doing exactly the same as him when he thought the Dwarf wasn't looking. _Idiot. _He jumped off the chair and walked over to the bed, inspecting the wound. "There's no scaring!"

Thranduil sighed with content as the pain left him, and the scar faded from his pale and flawless skin. "No, that's what the spell did." He smiled, yawning wearily and swinging his legs onto the floor. He had noticed the resentfulness between the two, but had decided to pay no heed and concern himself with his own matters for once as he stretched his arms lazily.

Kili shook his head. _How the hell… I need this magic. _he thought, backing away so Thranduil could get off of the bed and (_unfortunatly)_ pull his shirt back on. "So…no more hunting?" He smiled.

"Not for a little while." Thranduil said thoughtfully and returned the smile. "I'm sorry we didn't actually get to hunt." He murmured with a little regret as he laced his robe back up.

Kili smiled. "It's fine, it was an interesting ride anyway. Wouldn't want to do it again though." He laughed, walking towards the door and nodding to the medical man.

"Thank you, Elrindir." The Elvenking said as he followed Kili to the door. "Savo 'lass a lalaith na lu e-govaned vin." He patted the other Elf's shoulder in farewell and opened the door.

"Posto vae, my King" The other replied bashfully as the two took their leave.

Kili shook his head and walked out the door. _I seriously need to learn elvish…_ he thought as he followed Thranduil from the infirmary.

-oOo-

Author's note:

Av'-osto - Don't be afraid  
Mellon ni'n - My friend  
Tanya awra - That hurts  
Pe-channas - Idiot  
Nidh - Ouch  
Savo 'lass a lalaith na lu e-govaned vin - have joy and laughter until next we meet  
Posto vae - Rest well

Thanks for reading,  
Tanith and Tam


	16. A Kissing of Kings

That night Thranduil could not sleep. He tossed and turned, throwing the blanket on the floor, retrieving it, discarding his pillows, lying on his back, and then his side, and then his stomach. He could not place what it was. He was just generally uncomfortable. Sometime between laying on his back for the third time and bringing the blanket back up to his chest, he managed to figure it out. He felt lonely. He remembered his wife, and reflected on how she would hold him through the night and comfort him gently when he displayed weakness or fear. He remembered her soft, soothing voice that sent him back to slumber. Lulling himself into an unexpected state of remorse, Thranduil resorted to the only two things that had given him comfort in these past centuries. His son, and pie. And considering Legolas was resting for his quest to Erebor, Thranduil concluded that pie was the right way to go about this. Sighing and rubbing his eyes, he swung his nimble legs over the bed and walked to his dresser, throwing on a basic shirt and breeches and boots before making his way to the kitchens.

Kili opened his eyes and looked around. _I wonder if the pie maker is down in the kitchens… Well it wouldn't hurt to look_. he thought, climbing out of the bed and dropping onto the floor. He pulled on his shirt, hoes and boots before he walked towards the door.

Whilst already half way through making his second pie, Thranduil sighed with discontent. This wasn't making him feel better, and that bothered him to a great extent. He moved some hair from his face and wiped the flour on his shirt vigorously. Pouring the filling into the second pie, he placed it on the stove and readied the ingredients for the third, going by the naïve belief that the more he made, the better it would feel.

Kili walked down the well worn path to the Kitchens. _There it is. That unmistakable smell of pies. I'll search for the person this time, if they've gone again. _He thought as he reached corridor which held the most pleasing and beautiful smells that was obviously coming from the wooden door at the end. Being as light on his feet as he could manage, he crept down to the door and made to open it.

Thranduil panicked as before, completely perplexed as to why he hadn't detected the advancer beforehand. With a look of horror on his face, he made a last attempt as the door was opening to hide. He leapt again over the counter, only this time catching his leg and toppling over, landing with a smack to the floor and groaning loudly.

Kili opened the door just in time to see Thranduil flying across the counter and his leg catching on the side, causing him to topple onto the floor. Kili stood in bewilderment for a second, taking in the surroundings, before starting to laugh and walk over to the King and extending a hand to help him up. "You could have just told me," He chuckled. "Could have saved risking life and limb in the long jump."

Growing red in the face, the Elvenking took Kili's hand and brushed himself off, opening his mouth to speak. A very weak croak escaped him in the place of words, so he just sat on a wooden stool by the counter. "I - I would really appreciate you not telling anyone about this." He murmured with an embarrassed smile as he rested his head in his arms. "Kings hunt and fight, and concern themselves with the safety of their kingdom in their spare time. They don't bake pies."

"I won't tell anyone. It will be one of life's little mysteries." Kili smiled, sitting next to him. "I mean, I prefer pies over knitting." He smirked, leaning back against the counter. "How often do you do this then? Not the counter vault, the pie making?" He asked, looking over to the over to the oven where another pie was cooking.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me." Thranduil kept his head buried in his arms to avoid eye contact with the Dwarf. "I do it when I'm feeling upset, usually." He let this slip from him, feeling so secure and comfortable in this environment, and regretted this instantly.

"No problem, what are friends for." Kili smiled, patting Thranduil's shoulder sympathetically. "Why are you feeling upset?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. _Legolas going to Erebor perhaps? No that's stupid Kili. Legolas would have left Mirkwood countless times before. He could be worried, but worried isn't upset. Hmm._

Thranduil shuddered a little under Kili's touch, something he hadn't expected of himself. He lifted his head and moved from the counter to the now baked pie on the stove. "It…it's a delicate matter, really." Sitting on the other side of the counter this time, opposite Kili, he plucked a fork from the surface, digging into one of the pies. "Don't worry about it." He continued to avert Kili's gaze with a serious expression, stuffing his face with a forkful big enough for three Hobbits.

_He bakes and eats when he's upset. Interesting. _Kili held his hands up in surrender and watched the King stuff his face with pie. "I'll leave it then. I'm sure it's not important enough for me to know anyway." He said, slightly amused by the elf. _Amused by an Elf. This is new._ "I'd love to see how much you bake when it is important, I mean three is pushing it." He smirked.

Feeling his mood grow progressively worse, Thranduil shoved another massive forkful into his mouth and knotted his brow. He didn't know why he felt worse. Kili didn't want to press it, he wanted to stay out of this and give him some space. Wise decision. So why did he _want_ him to press it? He sighed mournfully as he finished his mouthful and prepared another. "I'm sorry, I'm being so rude. Did you want some?" He asked, gesturing towards another fork on the counter and ignoring the Dwarf's statement.

"It's fine. I'm good thanks, I'm not that hungry right now." He smiled, watching the Elf sit back down and getting stuck into the warm fruit pie. _He needs it more than I do right now. _He thought, letting his thoughts wander. He should send a raven to Fili telling him that he was in Mirkwood and not to worry… Although his brother wouldn't start worrying about him for a couple of days yet, knowing about Kili's awful sense of direction. Perhaps then to Bilbo to warn him of Tauriel and Legolas' plans to go to Erebor. He should really do that, Bilbo can get Dwalin to let them in and calm Thorin down. _How _Bilbo would do that, he didn't care, he had bigger fish to fry, like his friendship with Thranduil. He didn't want to lose that at all.

Thranduil still sat with a scowl on his face, wondering where this bitter rush of misery had come from as he continued to greedily munch his way through his pie. He realized he wasn't really enjoying it, but he was using it as a plug for his emotions, to prevent them from tumbling out of his mouth like a thick wad, and drowning Kili. He also tilted his head slightly and quirked his brow when his friend had declined the pie. This was unlike him. He shrugged it off and swallowed the pie, recalling a long-lost thought. "I wanted to thank you. For, uh…helping me so much earlier, with the wound."

Kili jumped at the sudden sound and looked up at Thranduil. "Hmm? Oh it was no problem. I'm used to bandaging people up, including me sometimes. I'm glad it didn't get infected and leave a scar. I usually get scars…" He trailed off, not thinking of anything that he could say without rambling on at him. _Why would he want to listen to my rambling anyway when he has his own troubles. I should really leave him to it. _"Well, I'll head off then." _But I really don't want to go. This is all getting a bit unhealthy Kili._

"NO! Kili, don't…I…" Thranduil sighed and ran his hand through his hair with exasperation._ Great. He didn't plug enough and now he had blurted. _He shook his head and closed his mouth, pushing the tempting traitor of a pie away from him. "I'm sorry…leave if you want to…" Unable to find the right words, the Elvenking tried to do what he had practiced for centuries - shut himself off. He needed to rebuild his wall and fast. "I mean…I suppose…I'm just a little lonely." He mentally cursed himself for carrying on.

Kili took the Elf King's fork from his hands and set it down on the table before reaching across the table and lifting Thranduil's head up to get him to look at him. _Kili, don't do what I think you're about to do. That would be a stupid move and you know it._ He thought, but quietened it down before taking a final decision. "You have people who adore you, a son who looks up to you and loves you dearly. You have a friend that would do anything for you. You are not lonely Thranduil." He said quietly. _Oh __**sod**__ it._ He thought leaning across the table and placed a kiss on the Elf's lips. He drew back, realising what he had done, and fled out of the kitchen.

-oOo-

Thanks for reading,

Tanith and Tam


	17. Upon Reflection, There's a lot to say

Thranduil was overcome with a rush of excitement, something he hadn't felt in years. Before he had even realized what had happened, Kili had gone and had left him staring like a maniac into space, unsure of whether what had just taken place had actually taken place or not. After a minute or two of debating, Thranduil sprang from the stool and ran from the kitchen in search of Kili_._

Kili ran down corridor after corridor, making random turns where he thought the King wouldn't find him. He ended up on a large walkway that led to a well lit platform which turned out to be the throne room. Hearing footsteps going along the walkway, he hid behind the throne, hearing the voices of Legolas and Tauriel as they walked onto the platform. They stayed there for quite a while conversing, but Kili paid no attention to anything but his thoughts until he heard quick footfall on the walkway. _Please don't see me. Mahal, If you've ever cared, don't let him see me._

Thranduil sighted his son and Tauriel in the great throne room, slowing down considerably, as if to maintain his dignity. "Legolas, Tauriel. What is the issue?" He beamed, straightening himself out and strolling to his throne. He couldn't bear this right now, he had bigger things on his mind. "Well?" He demanded as he took his seat and looked at both astounded Elves. "Ada, you seem different…" Legolas spoke slowly, quirking his brow.

"Are you alright, my lord? We were just talking about what route we would take to Erebor, discussing which would be the best route." Tauriel said wearily. "What's the matter?"

"I'm perfectly okay. And I trust you both well enough to arrange the trip yourselves without failure, my two strongest warriors." Thranduil smiled gracefully, praying to the Valar that flattery would get him everywhere.

"And as wonderful as hearing you say it was, my king, what was your real reason for sprinting down the pathway like you had an army of Goblins on your tail?" Tauriel asked boldly, folding her arms and quirking an eyebrow at her King, knowing that if she didn't ask, Legolas certainly wasn't. Not when his father was involved in something anyway.

Thranduil sighed and hung his leg over the arm of the throne lazily, making himself comfortable. "Tauriel, If you truly respect me as a King, you will take your leave now." He glanced at the Elleth in a way that she knew to take seriously. "And you, ion n'in." Thranduil spoke gently to his son. "You have a lot of planning to do."

Tauriel rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. Come on Legolas, we can do this somewhere else." She said, dragging out a bewildered Legolas who waved at his father as he was pulled out down through a corridor that branched off of the Platform.

_Well. I'm doomed. Thanks for nothing Mahal_. Kili thought as he watched Legolas being dragged out of the area by that infuriating Elf from his first day in Mirkwood. Taurepel or something. _I doubt even Aulë knows with these Elven names_. he thought sullenly.

Thranduil's heart was pounding in his chest. He relaxed further into his elaborate throne and fixed his hair with shaky hands. "Valar, leithio nin. Save me from this…" He sighed, half exhilarated, half terrified.

Kili sat as still as he could. _Mahal forgive me, you have been brilliant._ he thought happily as he tried to keep his breathing quiet. _Stupid idea to hide in the throne room though._ He looked at the cavern the platform was suspended in and looked around. _Shit._ He thought as he glanced down quickly and tried not to hyperventilate. _Aulë that's a long way down. What have I done to get Mahal to laugh at me so? Except paint Mirkwood, kiss the King and told Mahal he was useless.. __**Bugger.**_

"Kili? You don't have to come out…" Thranduil whispered softly, detecting the Dwarf's breathing from behind him. "I'm just as confused as you are. I just wanted to thank you again." He held his breath and waited on a reply that never came. "I don't regret what you did, even if you do." The King tried to push aside his fears and speak truthfully for once.

Kili started breathing regularly again, considering his next move. Which was going to be get as far away from the edge as you can. "I don't know what to think." He said, shuffling around to the side of the Throne so he didn't have to see the height they were at just being on the platform. "I don't regret it at all, but I Don't understand what you would want to thank me for this time. I have done nothing that you should thank me for."

Moving his head to glance at Kili, Thranduil sighed once again. "For making me feel like this."_ Oh to hell with it, may as well go all out now_. "I haven't felt this way in centuries." He said breathlessly. "All I know, is that now the burden of loneliness has been lessened."

Kili smiled softly and looked out across the platform before making his decision to move. Kili got to his feet and walked warily around to the front of the throne to look at Thranduil. "It wasn't hard. I just told you the truth." He smiled. _At least he doesn't hate me_.

Thranduil moved his hand to gently caress Kili's warm cheek, wondering if he was taking it too far. "Perhaps, I just needed to be reminded of the truth.' He smiled gently at the Dwarf, looking into his eyes. "I thank you for doing that."

Kili lent into the Elf's touch and smiled, moving a bit closer to him. "That's alright. I don't think that there was any other way you was going to get out of that stage without knowing it for yourself. Besides, the shock probably did you good." He smirked.

"You're probably right." Thranduil sighed and leaned back. He yawned heartily. "My God, it's been a long day." He smiled thoughtfully. "I think we both need some sleep." Taking his hand from the Dwarf's face, he reflected on everything that had happened.

Kili missed the warmth of Thranduil's hand as soon as it was gone. "I guess so. I don't think you should sleep there though, my king." He smirked, walking back a little to allow the Elf to stand up.

Thranduil stretched a little and eased himself up, laughing at Kili's remark. "Probably not." He smirked as he made his way down the steps. "I'd get the Tauriel treatment when I woke up." Gazing up at Kili, he gestured for him to follow.

Kili laughed at the mental image of the infuriating Elf (who's name was apparently not Taurepel.) Stood looking disapprovingly at the king. He followed Thranduil along the walkway, making sure to keep to the middle of the path so he would not have to look down over the edge.

"It's only going to freak you out more if you think about it." The Elf spoke boldly, recalling Kili's fear of heights. "Just keep your mind on something else until we get to the end." He smirked and slowed to his companion's pace, urging him on gently.

"I'm fine." _That was a lie Kili Durin_. "I'm coping," _Only just._ "I'm just not going to look down." _Into the great firey abyss that probably houses a Balrog or a hoard of goblins waiting with trolls._

"Mhm." Thranduil moved behind Kili with a sly grin. "So, you wouldn't be scared if I did this?" He taunted, pushing him gently nearer to the edge of the path.

Kili let out a high pitched noise that could be placed somewhere between a whimper or a scream and clung to Thranduil's middle. "Menu shirumund, ungrim elf!" He muttered, burying his head in Thranduil's side, trying hard not to start hyperventilating.

Letting out a wicked chuckle, Thranduil laced his hands into Kili's mass of dark hair. "I'm sorry." He soothed. "I won't do it again, I promise." He stood patiently as Kili continued to latch onto him like a child. "I promise."

Kili glared at Thranduil and stepped away, unlatching himself from him. "Hm. Yes. Well. I apologize for that." He muttered, stepping back into the middle of the path. "I will hold you to that until the day I die Thranduil. Git."

"I'm sure you will, drama-Prince." Thranduil smirked and walked in front of Kili, coming to the main entrance. "Well, I suppose we'll be parting ways now?" He shrugged nonchalantly, hoping a little that Kili rejected that notion.

**_Drama-Prince?!_** _humph_. he thought as they reached the square once again. "If you want to." Kili smiled. "I'll see you in the morning?"

Nodding gracefully, Thranduil smiled in farewell. "If you want to." He replied nonchalantly, trying to conceal that small feeling of disappointment. _No, Thranduil. You've had more than enough excitement for one day_. "Losto vae, Kili Durin. Guren niniatha n'i lu n'i e-govenitham." And with that he turned, and made his way to his bed chambers.

Kili watched Thranduil walk down the corridor, looking bemused as to what the elf had said. _I need to lean elvish_ he thought, starting down the corridor to his room. _Sleep well Thranduil_.

-oOo-

Author's note:  
Menu shirumund, ungrim elf - You beardless, Untrustworthy Elf  
Losto vae - Sleep Well  
Guren niniatha n'i lu n'i e-govenitham - My heart shall weep until next we meet.

There will probably be another update on either Friday or Saturday, then there won't be another one until the 21st, as I (Tanith) am going on holiday, and Tam hasn't got a computer anymore. So I thought I'd warn you in advance :D

As always, thanks for reading.  
Tam and Tanith


	18. Hair Braiding and Wine Cellar Sleepovers

For the second time that night, Thranduil lay awake in his lavish and unnecessarily huge bed. But this time it wasn't negatively induced. He replayed that moment in his head breathlessly, that split second in which their lips had touched. He remembered that it had happened too fast for him to react, and how he wished - _no, Thranduil, no. Stop. Remember the last time you stumbled into happiness? She was killed and you almost died of heartbreak. Do you want that again? No. Stop. Stop it_. Still, as he turned over on his side and closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep, somewhere in the back of his mind the moment persistently re-played itself, despite his better judgement.

Kili sat on the bed, staring into space.  
_**This is stupid Kili. Just go talk to him.**_  
_But what if he doesn't want to speak to me? I'm just a dwarf, and a childish one at that._  
**Kili, get the next train out of pessimism central, and speak to him.**  
_In the morning then.._

* * *

Thranduil woke with a bang. It posed no threat, it was no bang signaling an attacker, or the bang of somebody's fist on his door. No. It was the bang of his body as he rolled off the comfortable, warm bed, and onto the abrupt solidity of the floor tiles, with a thick blanket to cushion the fall a little. This was a habit he had recently seemed to have picked up, and one he would gladly abandon, given the choice. As he lay in a disheveled pile on the floor, he stretched wearily and missed the bed greatly, making the decision to pick himself up and roll back onto it. It wasn't until he was falling back into sleep that he recalled the previous night. "Why brain, why?" He sighed as he pulled the bedding over his head.

Kili hadn't slept. His brain had been debating about what he should do all night and still hadn't reached a conclusion. He stared up at the ceiling and frowned. He could still see Thranduil's surprised expression, and desperately wanted to kiss it off of him.  
_Kili, what are you even thinking?! A few days ago you hated the very essence of that elf.  
__**But you didn't even think of the possibilities that could have lead you to him.**__  
Oh you're back. Yay.  
__**Shut up and listen for once. Go and talk to him and you'll be fine.**_**  
**_I… Hang on. You sound suspiciously like Bilbo.  
__**Yes, the voice of reason. now go and see that bloody Elf and get it over with!**__  
I hate you._

Kili climbed out of the bed and changed into clean clothes before making a final decision and walking out of the door to find the king.

Thranduil sighed again, suffocating himself with the quilt as deeply as he could without actually risking his life. He curled up into a ball, and tried to get to sleep again, he didn't even care for the time of day. Finally, he gave up, lying on his stomach and gazing at the wall. God, what was this horrible mixture of good and bad that was haunting him completely? He hoped for the love of all that was left in Mirkwood that Kili had meant to do what he did.

Kili walked down the corridor and into the square. He looked down the hall that led to the extravagant doors and concluding with Thranduil. _Are you sure you want to go through with this? _He thought, sitting on the wall, watching the Elves go through with their day to day life. He was just a child to them, with such a small lifespan. _You've known him for what? Three days? He probably doesn't even like-  
__**Oh for the love of Valar, go and see him!  
**__Sod off.  
__**No. Go and see him or I **_**will ****_do permanent _**_**damage. **_Kili sighed again and made to walk down the corridor leading to Thranduil's room.

Thranduil stood up and threw on a silk dressing robe, making his way to the elaborate wooden desk in the corner and taking the seat in front of it. Fastening his hair with a nearby ribbon, he prepared a parchment and ink. He began expertly writing in his native language with ease, dipping the nib every so often and pausing to think. He was writing a letter to Elrond of Imladris.

_But what if-  
__**If you don't shut up Kili, I swear to Mahal I will hurt you. **_Kili sighed as he walked down the corridor. He walked up to the carved wooden door and knocked soundly, hoping that Thranduil would be awake to hear him. _It wouldn't be too bad if he didn't hear me I guess._ He thought waiting for a second, before he turned and walked slowly away. _What a shame. He didn't hear you. You'll have to come back later._

Lost in his thoughts as he stroked his chin, Thranduil had barely detected the faint knock on his door, returning to his senses just a few seconds later. "Enter!" He yelled, in case the visitor had decided to leave it. Waiting a little bit, he shrugged and began writing again.

Kili turned as he heard Thranduil yell. **_Go back over there you idiot! What are you doing! Go back. _****Now.** He sighed before walking back over to the door. He knocked again, a little harder this time to make it audible, before stepping back away from the door.

"Enter." Thranduil repeated sternly, clearing his voice and stopping in his work. He screwed up the parchment and shook his head with aggravation, setting a fresh one on the table. Dipping the nib again, he set to starting anew. Kili opened the door wide enough for him to fit through and closed it again.

"Uh… Hello." He smiled, leaning against the door frame, watching the elf work for a minute before considering walking towards him. Grinning widely at his visitor, Thranduil cleared his throat.

"Kili, come in." He pulled the robe over his chest a little more and continued to write, then paused for a moment. "Well, are you going to just stand there?" He laughed softly, growing slightly heated.

"I'm enjoying the view." He remarked, scanning his eyes over the elf king. "But I guess I could come over there." He smirked, walking towards the King. "What're you doing then?" He asked, his eyesight just above the desk, letting him take note of a letter half way through being completed.

Smiling bashfully and looking to the ground, he spoke. "I'm just…writing a letter to Elrond." He made another attempt to cover his chest with the robe and sighed as a lock of silken hair cascaded in front of his eyes. "I can never…fully keep it back…" He trailed off, continuing to avoid Kili's gaze.

Kili hummed thoughtfully as he looked over the Elf's chest again."Don't worry, it's only a chest. Everyone has one." He smirked as he quoted Thranduil's words from the day before and moved to drag a chair over to where Thranduil was sat. He climbed up onto the chair and looked over the letter, trying and failing to decipher the text. "Have you ever tried braiding it? Off your face anyway. That might solve some of your problems. If you did it properly, you could keep it off your face and still have your hair down." He said, studying the unfamiliar text.

Thranduil shook his head gently at Kili's reference. "Touche." He smiled, covering his chest again anyway. _Damn this flimsy material_. "And…um…Well, this isn't very good for an Elf, but, I can't actually braid my hair." He said awkwardly, scrolling more Elvish onto the parchment. "I could never get the hang of it."

Kili smirked and looked at the Elf's hairstyle, considering what he could do with it. _So many braids, so little time._ "Not everyone can do it. It just takes practice." He smiled, turning his attention back to watching Thranduil write. "What does it say?" He asked, intrigued.

"Literally 'Dear Lord Elrond.' I'm not entirely sure what to write." Thranduil sighed, tossing his flaxen hair - which was having none of the restrictions of the ribbon - over his shoulder. "And believe me, I did practice. Aside sword fighting, that was the one thing my Father_ made _me practice. I am just so awful at it." He chuckled softly.

Kili frowned at the paper. "Why were you writing to him? That should help slightly." He said, turning back to Thranduil, to continue planning to braid the king's hair when he wasn't expecting it. "Braiding hair is alright when you get the right technique."

"Oh, it's an accommodation issue." Thranduil spoke softly. "He's coming to visit with a few of his kin, and I had all the rooms prepared, but I've recently received a letter from him saying that he wants to bring his daughter - Arwen. I'm just trying to figure it all out in my head. Not only that, I want to notify him of a gathering I'm holding, in honour of our recently formed alliance." He smiled at the Dwarf almost nervously, waiting for him to start flailing his arms and rant about how it was a 'suicide mission', and how his 'Uncle would never condone it.'

"Accommodation? Am I in the one she could have been in?" He asked. "I can move if needs be. I can sleep in a study or something until the dwarves get here. I'll share with my brother." He suggested, mulling the problem over. "It will be nice to see Arwen again. She was the only one not obsessed with green food. I doubt that he will mind the dwarves being there though, he was reasonable enough last time I came across him."

Thranduil smiled at the Dwarf's eagerness to help. "Don't even think of moving. Your room was meant for no-one but you. It's just that Elrond wants to bring Arwen now and it's a little inconvenient. If anything you can have my room and I'll sleep in the study." He rested his head back warily and gazed up at the ceiling. "Elrond is nice enough."

"I'm not taking your room from you. I'm more suited to sleeping rough. I've done it most of my life. Even this wouldn't be sleeping rough because I'd have more blankets and warmth than I would outside." Kili argued, folding his arms. "You need to have a room when you have guests, not sleep on the floor. And Elrond is alright, just a bit too fond of green food."

Thranduil knotted his brow slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. He was having none of this. "No, Kili. You are a guest here. You will be treated as such. I will sleep somewhere else and that's that." He glared a little at Kili, to see if he'd reject. "Besides that, I've had plenty of experience sleeping on the road." he added.

Kili frowned at the Elf. "No. I am not letting you do this, I'd rather sleep on the floor than let you when you have guests more important than me. I can find somewhere, trust me." He scowled, wondering if he could make him see sense. "I don't doubt that you've slept rough on the road, I just have my camp roll in my room which I can use."

"Kili Durin. Would you make a guest sleep on the floor so you could have your bedroom?" Thranduil smirked slyly, hoping that this had worked. He continued to deeply rub at the muscle knot in the back of his neck.

"Well… No. But you're a" _What should I call him? This is a bit awkward. Where the hell is that infuriating voice when you need it?! Friend? Friend will do for now._ "friend, and as your friend, I recognise your offer and ignore it." He concluded, smirking at the Elf.

Quirking an eyebrow with amusement, Thranduil continued to scroll on the parchment. "A friend that you enjoy the view of?" He smirked, deliberately avoiding Kili's gaze. "As a friend, then, I'll sleep on the floor with you."

_**Well, that went well, didn't it?  
**__Where the hell were you when I needed you?!  
_**_Watching and laughing at you.  
_**_I hate you._ "Uh… Yes?" He said awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. "I think I could deal with that." He smiled, looking down at his hands.

Smiling back with satisfaction and also running a hand through his - now loose - hair, Thranduil made to speak. "Well, that's that sorted then." He finished up the letter, quickly reading it over and leaving it to dry.

Kili watched Thranduil write the rest of the letter, noting the flowing words that snaked across the page. "Could.. Could you teach me a little elvish? I mean, you don't have to, but I feel rude not knowing what people say to me around the place. I mean I don't even know what hello is."

Thranduil smiled at this odd request, of a Dwarf wanting to learn Elvish, and was just about to make a remark about it before he realised that it wasn't really odd at all. "Of course I could." He said softly. "Well to start off with the basics, we usually just say 'I greet you', instead of 'Hello. That's 'Gi suilon.'" He began, rolling the parchment up and turning to face Kili.

"Gi suilon…" He muttered, committing it to memory, trying to get past the previous conversation bombshell of 'I'll sleep on the floor with you'. "I can do that." He smiled, turning and getting comfortable on the chair.

Thranduil cocked his head slightly at the way the Dwarf pronounced the words. "That was perfect." He smiled with an element of surprise, leaning back casually and stroking his chiseled chin with one hand. He rested the other on the arm rest.

Kili took a mock bow and smirked. "Thank you" he smiled, leaning forward in his chair, flicking his hair out of the way of his eyes. _I really need to re-braid my hair…_ he thought, moving his hands to start a normal braid, collecting all the hair from the front of his head.

Watching the Dwarf intently, the Elvenking took a clump of his own immaculate hair and tried to mimic Kili's technique clumsily. "Is that enough, or did you want to learn more?" He smiled, sighing as he had realised he had messed the braid up somehow. He separated the hair and made to begin again, still watching Kili.

"I'll be alright with that for now." He smiled, finishing off the braid and using a clasp from another loose braid to keep it together. He looked up at Thranduil and tried not to chuckle. "You really can't braid your hair, can you?" He said, watching the elf try to mimic him. He sighed and weighed up his options. _I am not courting him. He's just a friend. Who I enjoy the look of. And I kissed. Not courting.  
__**And how's that working out for you?**_ "Do you want me to do that for you?" He asked, watching the braid fall apart again.

"Would you mind?" Thranduil grinned, fixated by Kili's hair. Up until now he hadn't realised how nicely fixed it was. _His hair is nice. It has so many more colours than yours. Just one block colour. And his eyes. They're warm and expressive. What are yours? Just two passionless icicles? Thranduil, what are you doing?_ He sighed to himself internally, growing quickly tired with this inner battle. "I really cannot do it. It's as embarrassing as pies."

"It's fine." He chuckled, trying to remember the braid that signaled friend. "Pies aren't embarrassing. Knitting is embarrassing, Pies are delicious." He argued playfully, getting off of the chair and moving it to behind Thranduil's chair. He undid the flimsy ribbon that was keeping about three strands in place and collected side pieces from the front of his head, picking up the top layer of hair for each bit as he went past it, until both sides met in the middle. He started plaiting it into two separate braids, joining the middle pieces of hair as he went. When he finished both, he removed two small clasps from his hair and placed them in Thranduil's, holding them in place.

"Pies are delicious, but I somehow feel that it shouldn't be me making them." Thranduil grunted as Kili pulled a little too hard now and then, but otherwise sat completely content. And patience was a greatly required mentality, for he must have been weaving a masterpiece up there. Thranduil was pretty happy with this image as he continued to caress his chin. He liked the gentle feel of Kili's fingers in his hair, he thought to himself silently.

"Everyone likes baking. Not everyone is good at it, but baking is fun." He said, admiring his handiwork before jumping off of the chair and smiling. "There you go. Sorry I pulled a bit hard here and there, it will stay in for a good few days when you do that though. It won't fall into your face now though." he said smugly. /Well, it doesn't completely mean friend… It means more than friend but I won't tell him that./

Walking to the mirror, Thranduil raised his eyebrows in shock. "How in the darkest depths of Mordor did you do that in that amount of time?! How did you do that in any amount of time?!" He yelled with a huge smile. Composing himself after this small outburst, he re-took his seat and cleared his throat. "Thank you, Kili." He said deeply, smiling despite himself.

Kili frowned as he watched Thranduil's face fall at the sight of the intricate braid that now snaked down his back, but started to smirk as he started to rant. "Years of practice. I learnt that from my father when I was 12. I've been able to do it progressively quicker ever since then." He chuckled, watching the Elf's face light up. He dragged his chair back over to face Thranduil and smiled. "No problem, Thranduil."

T- Everything seemed good, for the moment. Thranduil studied the intricate braids intently, fiddling with them gently so as not to mistreat them. "This is just remarkable…" He said with his mouth still half-way open. "Your Father must have been a skillful man. Unless it's just you." He smirked at his companion a little.

"Unlikely. I just had a good teacher. My father did my mother's braids, so I learned from one of the best." He smiled as he climbed up onto the seat and put his legs across Thranduil's. "I wouldn't say remarkable. That, by far, isn't my best work. The others are much more intricate than that, all of them with different meanings weaved into them."

"I don't even want to imagine how complicated it is." Thranduil's facial expression went flat. Then he smiled at Kili's small gesture, and draped one of his arms over the Dwarf's shins. "Meanings?" he quirked a brow

"That one, in the broadest sense of the word, means friend. Each have a different meaning, and you only have your hair braided by someone you are close to or you trust." /Or who you're being courted by. But I won't mention that one./ "It's an old dwarf custom. I'm surprised you haven't come across it."

"So, To recap," Thranduil paused to think. "In the space of _three days_, I've been inebriated, smothered in paint, bound back to back with a Dwarf, been subjected to a fierce and _possibly deadly_ shoulder wound by an inexperienced outlaw, had my greatest secret discovered by said Dwarf, become his friend, agreed to have some sort of wine cellar sleepover with him, and I've had my hair braided as a symbol of this." He smiled, pausing for breath and clasping his hands together "Also - and not in chronological order this time - I almost lost my favourite steed, and lashed out at the consistently mentioned Dwarf. Oh, and he kissed me! Pervert!" He grinned.

"Hey, I've had it just about the same as you. Culture shock as the elf I've been warned about all my life offers me food! Confusing, is it not? Then I had the same arrow pointed at me twice by the same elf. Then I was pulled of a pony and got tied to an elf, then worried consistently about said elf when he refused to go to the infirmary! Ended up riding a terribly unamused moose, then Said elf then got caught making pies and was too stubborn to let me sleep in a study, and now we're having a sleepover there as you so elegantly put it. Not to mention the elf that so repeatedly comes up in this tends to drift off into space at any given moment" he smirked, nudging Thranduil playfully."And oii! Me? Perverted?! Who chased me all over the palace and then tried to push me off of a walkway?!" He laughed. "But yes, overall, that braid is what you have to show from it."

Laughing with content, Thranduil leaned forward a little. "And I feel it's the perfect thing to commemorate it." He smiled lazily. "You can't expect me to shrug it off and carry on eating my pie when I haven't had that kind of attention since long before even your uncle was born." He jabbed Kili's chest joyfully. "As for pushing you off the walkway, your reaction was so damn delicious." He finished, smirking in a slightly sinister manner.

"I have small legs! Dwarves are built for long distance, not sprinting. You could have given me a head start!" He laughed. "How in Aulë was it "damn delicious"?! I was frightened, how else did you expect me to act than grab the nearest person/thing and hold on for dear life?" He asked, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Thranduil quirked his brow in amusement again, _why was he doing this suddenly?_ and smirked very faintly. "Yes, because I was thinking so clearly in those two seconds you gave me to get accustomed to the situation before running off. I apologise for being so shockingly stupid and inconsiderate!" He laughed in a tone of mock sincerity. "And what's not cute about someone clinging on to you for dear life?"

"Apology accepted. Glad you see it my way" He chuckled. "And it's not cute when you pushed the person in the first place." He smirked, rolling his eyes.

Fully tilting his head this time, Thranduil's jaw dropped completely. "That is completely unfair…and it seems that we have different perceptions of things then." He chuckled, adding a subtle wink.

"And yet, I win." He said, spreading his arms out and shrugged them, smirking at the bemused elf. "Yep. Agree to disagree would work well." He smiled, feeling his ears turn red at the sight of the elf winking at him.

Smiling at the blushing Dwarf, Thranduil smiled and also shrugged casually. "Agreed." He said. "It's easier." And with that he rested both arms on the rests.

Kili smiled and sat up and lent forwards to rest his head on his hands. "Agreed." He smiled, taking in the image made by the elf.

Unable to think of anything to say or do, The Elf lent back and closed his eyes, basking in the presence of Kili. Suddenly he felt exposed - For he realised that the one thing between him and full nudity was the thin silk robe. "I should…I should probably get dressed." He chuckled nervously.

"Your choice." Kili smirked. "Did you leave any pie down in the kitchens?" He asked hopefully, moving his legs from Thranduil's lap and climbing down from the chair.

"Kili, I made three of the damn things. Do you think I'm that greedy?" Thranduil said with amusment, poking his stomach. "Although I have got to cut down a little. Loosing shape." He jiggled the almost minuscule bit of excess flab and laughed.

"At the rate you were eating them last night, I wouldn't be surprised if you did finish all three." He laughed. "You had finished one within a good five minutes." He said, rolling his eyes at the elf. "Do not tell me you're getting fat, there's hardly anything of you!" He said, gesturing to the elf's stomach.

Thranduil's face adopted a humorously offended expression. "There's enough of me!" He argued, running a hand over his chest. "I'm not as well built as other Elves…but…there's enough. Besides that, I said I will get fat if I keep eating them at the rate I do." He stood and made his way to the dresser.

Kili rolled his eyes and smirked. "You're the one who makes them." He chuckled, walking to the door. "Do you want me to bring you any, or are you trying to keep your figure?" He jibed, turning back around to face him.

"My magnificent figure. My manly muscles." He chuckled to himself, tensing his arms. "I am so effeminate." He sighed with defeat and pulled a shirt from his dresser. "No, I'll keep it. You see to yourself."

Kili laughed and lent against the door. "I'm going to the training grounds after I've eaten, so if I'm not in the Kitchens, I'll be there." He said, before he turned to walk out the door.

"I'll just be here. Doing…something. No, I'll probably be in the throne room. I have a meeting there today. Tauriel found my crown and I just told her it fell off to save myself the hassle." He turned his head a little as he fastened his breeches. "I just hate that crown. Whoever thought up that design can perish in Mordor." He turned to Kili and smiled. "I'll see you, at some point."

Kili threw a smile over his shoulder and walked out the door and down the corridor towards the Kitchens. _Oh Kili, you've fallen hard and fast for him…_

__-oOo-

Author's note:  
So I (Tanith) head off tomorrow to a place with no wifi in a village in Belgium. Then I'm off to Azincourt for the next weekend, so I hope everyone has a good week while I'm gone!

As always, thanks for reading.

Tanith and Tam


	19. Controlling Councilmen

Thranduil took his seat in front of the decently sized council of Elves in front of him. He was fully robed now and crowned, and looked every bit the King. He stared expectantly at his head advisor with his fierce eyes. Clearing his throat shakily, the advisor spoke "My King, this matter concerns a recently orphaned Elfling by the name of Falaroy. His Nana has long passed and his Ada was killed in the Orc raid…we seek advice from you." As the Elf finished his sentance, Thranduil's face dropped. _What am I supposed to do about this? I actually hate being a King. _He thought to himself, stroking his chin. "I trust a suitable foster family can be found for the little one?" He spoke boldly.

"Uh…. Well… we need to find someone. But until then, there isn't anyone that's suitable to look after him." One said, turning to face the king.

"So we were wondering, that is only if you want to.." Another stuttered, not meeting the King's eyes.

"If you would look after him for now." A third finished, a few others nodding in agreement.

Thranduil's jaw dropped in the presence of every Elf, completely disregarding the composed demeanour he should have been demonstrating. "That - That…that…" He stuttered. He hadn't parented for so long. The idea of being a Father again straight up scared him. _Well…what if I broke it? Do these imbaciles have any idea what they're saying? What…"_What…do you honestly think that this is the best possible route to take. For young Falaroy's sake?" The Elvenking said nervously.

"Well… You did manage to bring up Legolas, didn't you? Just do what you did with him but with Falaroy. Get that Dwarf to entertain him, just don't let him near paint again." The second elf said, rubbing at a splodge of green paint that had refused to move from his arm. "Look, we can tell you're worried, but you'll be fine."

"I am not worried!" Thranduil bellowed defensively. He wasn't sure why he lied like this. The council knew he was, he knew he was. He just wanted to cling to that shred of dignity that lay intact. "I know perfectly well how to raise a child, and will do so until further notice." _Shit, Oh valar no. __**THRANDUIL NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU MAVERICK**__?!_ He glared at the offending Elf fervently. **_If you don't shut up, Thranduil, I will make you cry in front of all of these people AND parent the child. _**_You wouldn't do that to me, I made you. __**You want to test it? **__No… _He battled ferociously with himself.

"There we go then. All sorted. Now back on to more pressing matters, such as the orc raids that have become more reoccurred in the recent months…."

-oOo-

Author's note:

Hello! Tam here. Not too sure about how this thing works, so please ignore any mistakes, Ellie will go through it later when she gets back. It has been hell not being able to talk to her for a week, but she's managed to text every now and again.

So, this going to end up sa rather large story arc, so this is just a filler for now.

Enjoy!

Tanith and Tam


	20. Of Active Elflings and Mental Breakdowns

Kili walked back from the training grounds after being beaten again after a good twenty minutes sparing session with Legolas and started towards the Elf King's rooms. He reached the door to Thranduil's room and knocked on the door. Not waiting for an answer, he walked straight into the bedroom to find an exasperated Thranduil sat helplessly in the middle of the bed, dangerously close to either crying or hyperventilating. He found the source of the problem almost immediately. Most of the furniture had been moved into a den like shape with things strewn around the room, and the walls scrawled across in what looked like a sort of crayon. The furniture that couldn't be made into the den structure had been set up as a sort of intricate obstacle course that snaked around the room. "Thranduil…. What happened?!" He asked, closing the door and walking to the bed. Upon reaching the bed, and receiving no answer from the elf, he looked around the room for a sign of another presence.

"A! Yallume. Tua amin Dwarf!" A voice said from above. Kili looked up from where he was looking in the den and saw a small elf figure hanging from what looked like a wooden beam that ran across the ceiling.

"Kulhu?!" _Oh Mahal save me._ "What in Aulë are you doing up there?!" He called up at him.

"Will explain this…" Thranduil managed between deep breaths. He was red in the face and he dug his hands into his hair with exasperation. "I just…I can't right now okay?" He took an even deeper breath. "I forgot the troubles of Fatherhood, and I think I'm going to get through seven pies tonight.

"Oh Thranduil! I didn't know you were a father to this wonderful child too! Congratulations!" He smirked, climbing onto the bed and grabbing the elf's hands before he could do any more damage to the braiding. "Come on, let's get you out of here before you have a panic attack." He said, grabbing the Elf's hands and led him out of the door. "I'll clean up in here, you go bake. Go on, I come and see you in a bit." He said, pushing the Elf down the corridor and turning back to go see to the mess that the elfling had made.

Thranduil, completely bemused and traumatised, made his way to the kitchens, and briefly considered turning back to thank Kili before remembering the destruction back there. This, if anything, sped him up more. By the time he had got to the kitchens he had almost broken into a sprint. He instantly found one of the remaining pies and began stuffing his face, feeling the events of the past four days overwhelming him. _Need to bake, have to bake, I'm a Dad again_, **_dear lord you kissed a Dwarf-Prince, you're falling in love with him and now you're a Dad._**_ I'm gonna lose it, I'M GONNA LOSE IT WHERE'S THE FLOUR I JUST LOST IT._ He slumped on the stool and smacked his head on the desk, remaining motionless for some time and staring into space.

* * *

"Hang in there!" Kili called joyfully to the young elf as he pulled the bed across the floor, kicking the furniture out of the way as he went.

"Amin delotha lle!" The elf called back. Kili ignored the elfling and looked up, trying to position the bed underneath the small elf.

"Let go!" Kili called, just as the elf's fingers sliped from the wooden perch and the elf found himself in freefall, landing on the bed safely. Kili pulled the child off the bed and walked down the corridor with the elfling in tow, over to Legolas' room and started to bang on the door. "Legolas! Open up! This is urgent!" He called through the door. "Oh come /on/! I know for a fact that you're in there! This is concerning your newly acquired younger brother!"

Legolas stretched wearily and walked to the door. "Kili, what - what's the oh - " The Prince let his gaze travel lower to the small Elfling. "Hello there pen tithen, are you my new little brother?" He chuckled gently, reaching down to softly pinch Falaroy's cheek, encouraging high pitched chortle from him "I trust Ada's been finding him a handful?" Legolas laughed, taking the child in his arms.

"The little darling has nearly made your father have a panic attack and trashed his room. Can you come help put the larger pieces, which I have no idea how he moved in the first place, back into position please?" He asked, leaning against the door as Legolas hugged Falaroy. _Bloody children._ "Oh and _please_ can you tell him to speak Westron to me? I can't say much at all so insulting me in Elvish doesn't work."

Legolas knotted his brow with concern. "Panic attack? Is he okay?" He inquired, setting the Elfling down and shutting the door, Legolas made his way to his father's room with the two in pursuit. "Oh my…Go. Go to him now. He needs you. I'll take care of this." Legolas ranted after seeing the state of the chambers. "Go." He urged gently, physically pushing Kili in the direction of the kitchens. "Right then, we are going to play a game." He said excitedly to the Elfling, hoping to manipulate him into helping tidy up.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the kitchens, Thranduil was just about done. He had thrown cutlery full force across the room, which embedded themselves into the walls. Bowls were strewn everywhere and the remainder of the flour was smeared across the Elvenking's face. This little temper-tantrum had come about when Thranduil had reached for the Dorwinion, swiftly hit by the realization that as a Father, he wouldn't even be allowed to drink. It had pushed him over the edge and he engaged himself in a full fledged battle with the kitchen, grunting, screaming, bellowing and completely disregarding the outside world. Luckily, no-one had been in close enough proximity to hear it, and, as a result, Thranduil lay in a seething, exhausted heap on the counter.

Kili walked into the Kitchens, taking in the bombsite that had Thranduil lying at the epicenter. He walked over to the elf and sat on a relativly clean stool. "Feeling better now?" He asked, taking hold of Thranduil's hand squeezing it lightly. He looked around and admired the carnage that surrounded him, taking note of the knives that were sticking out from the wall.

"I broke the kitchen." He laughed breathlessly, choking back tears. He squeezed back and wiped his eyes. _Don't do this, Thranduil I said nothing about making you cry in front of Kili, Thranduil, no no no no. Deep breaths, come on. You've been controlling your emotions for so long. You can do it now. Don't you __**dare**__ let him see this. _He took another deep breath. "For lack of a better word," He managed, feeling the warm trail of tears down his cheeks. "Fuck."

Kili wrapped his arms around the Elf's neck, pulling him and allowing him to cry if he needed to. "Shh. The kitchen can be fixed and you'll be fine." He said, making sure that he was comfortable. "Legolas is cleaning up the room and looking after the child until you're alright." He reassured him, playing with the braids that snaked down his back. _I'm going to have to re-braid this, he's got flour everywhere._ he thought, taking note of the now white floor and walls.

Wrapping his arms in turn around Kili, Thranduil continued to battle the tears. and to no avail. He sobbed softly into Kili's shoulder. "Why are you doing all of this for me? I was your sworn enemy not a week ago." He mumbled, screwing up his eyes and sniffling. **_Thranduil, you're so weak_**. _Oh, shut up I don't care._

"You see, now that's where you're wrong." He sighed, rubbing circles over the Elf's back. "You were my _Uncle's_ sworn enemy. I wasn't at Erebor's flambé ala Smaug, so I can't pass judgement. I have to gauge people for myself, not let Thorin do it for me. Yes, you didn't help the dwarves that day, but it was in the best interests for your people not to, and as their king, you had to weigh up the odds of them surviving and how many would not return. When the odds were strongly against the former, you had to leave my people, whether you wanted to help or not." He explained, resting his head on the Elf's shoulder.

Thranduil couldn't help but wrap his arms a little tighter around Kili. He lifted his face to look at him as the tears continued to leave streaks of flour down his face. "Thank you, thank you, and thank you again. For being the only one to even bother to think that maybe I didn't do it out of spite, for realizing that it wasn't between you and I. That it wasn't personal. And thank you for everything else you've done for me since we've known each other. I'm sorry to bombard you with my emotions like this, but I just…" He trailed off, embedding his face deeper into Kili's shoulder than before.

"It's fine." Kili smiled and sat waiting for the crying to take its course. He rested his chin back onto Thranduil's shoulder and undid the clasps in Thranduil's hair, running his hand through it, undoing his work. After a while, the sobbing stopped, and he pulled away from the elf. "Feeling any better?" He asked, wiping away the tears from Thranduil's face with his sleeve, like he would with a child.

Thranduil nodded his head and whimpered a little, leaning into Kili's touch before composing himself. "Essentially." He sighed. He had liked the way Kili gently ran his hands through his hair. "I think I can just about tackle a child now." He smiled, squeezing Kili on the shoulder. "What about the braids?"

"Good. And braids can be done again, especially when there isn't flour laced into your hair." He said, jumping off of the stool and onto the floor. "Come on then, I left Legolas to clean up with the child so Aulë knows what they've got themselves into." He smirked, leading the king out of the Kitchen, pitying the elf that had to clean the mess up.

Upon reaching Thranduil's chambers, both Elf and Dwarf were startled at the sight that met them. A completely spotless and unscathed room, and a freshly changed bed with Legolas and a sleepy Falaroy in the middle. The small Elfling had been forced to wear a night shirt, and now sat between the Prince's legs as his hair was being re-braided, sucking his thumb contently. Thranduil wanted to rush to his eldest and embrace him to Valinor as he felt the tears well up again. "Legolas. Thank you." Was all he could say, although the Prince could see the tue extent of his father's gratitude in his eyes.

Kili smiled at Legolas, looking around the room, wondering how he had managed to get the crayon off of the walls. He nodded at the child that removed his thumb to smile at him for a second before replacing it and moved his head back so Legolas could finish the braid. Kili pushed Thranduil forward towards the two on the bed and turned to walk out of the room.

Turning to Kili quickly, a look of panic clouded Thranduil's face. "Are you okay?" He asked thoughtlessly, taking his seat on the bed. The Elfling moved from Legolas' lap into his, snuggling into his flour covered shirt and chest. Something struck the king then, as he brought his arms around the little one. _What if __**he**__ ever needs __**me**__? Will he say anything_? _**What if he needs you now and he's not saying anything...**_

"I'm fine. I need to send a raven to Bilbo and Fili.. Perhaps I should write a letter instead. I should really get this flour off of me too. I'll see you in a bit." _They're happy. That's what matters the most right now, not me and my troubles. I'll hear the story of how he acquired the elfling and how said elfling managed to get on the ceiling later.. _He smiled and walked down the corridor.

Smiling politely and nodding at Kili, Thranduil turned to Falaroy. "Right, you," He grinned widely. "You're going to pay for what you did to my room." And with that, he began tickling the small boy, who emitted desperate, high pitched laughter. Legolas lent against the bed and watched with a smile. He extended a hand to squeeze his Father's shoulder. "Ada, I've seen the way you are with the Dwarf." He spoke gently, saving the Elfling from the King's playful attack. "If I didn't know better, I'd say it was -" "Well it's a good thing I've raised you to know better then." Thranduil cut him off bluntly, shooting him a discreet look. He couldn't know yet. Not when Thranduil didn't know himself. "Thank you again, for doing all of this for me. You really are my pride and joy, ion ni'n" He smiled as his son flushed with pride.

Kili shook his head as he walked down the corridor, listening to the Elfling's laughter, walking to the square and to the training grounds where he had caught Roäc lurking earlier on in the day. He sat down on the wall that divided the archery grounds and the sword training area. "I know you're there you know. You're not very good at lurking." He called, as the raven flew down to perch on the wall next to him. "I _am_ wondering why you're here though."

"Well I'm wondering the same. Does Thorin know you're here?" The raven asked bluntly, glaring at the Dwarf.

"No, and you're not going to tell him, otherwise you're going to end up in a pie, got it?"

"Loud and clear prince. The King under the mountain is worried about your whereabouts though."

"Good, and it's going to stay that way.. I need you to carry some letters to Bilbo and Fili."

"I am _not _a postman. Get a pigeon if you want that." The Raven sulked, readying himself to fly off.

"I'll tell Bilbo to feed you?"

"Done. When shall I pick them up?"

"Tonight in about two hours time." He said, getting up and walking off back to his rooms.

* * *

It was almost nightfall, as Thranduil lay with the sleeping Falaroy in his arms, reading up on Dwarf mythology. _Need to get him a bed._ He thought to himself, as the Elfling stirred a little and clinged to Thranduil's toned arm. _And a teddy. No point in waking anyone up now. Besides - he looks kind of sweet…_The Elvenking smiled to himself softly and yawned, setting the book down_. May as well sleep then._

Kili had managed to find a pot of ink, a quill (Thranduil seemed to like flamboyant things ) and some paper. He wrote two letters, one to his brother, explaining what he had learnt about Thranduil and what had happened for him to end up in mirkwood. Kili's letter consisted of that and the fact that Legolas and Tauriel was coming to Erebor to talk to Thorin and they needed safe passage to the throne room with a clear headed Thorin to talk to. He gave the letters to Roäc, who glared at him and flew off.

* * *

Thranduil was having a very strange dream. In it was a swooping raven, with Thorin's head. Thorin was angry - which was nothing out of the ordinary - and so Thranduil sat on his throne apathetically, quirking a brow and resting his face in his hand. The Thorin raven swooped down, and humorously tried to work a bow and arrow with his wings, before finally giving up and running at the Elvenking full force. With that, Thranduil jolted up in his bed, sweating and panting. Falaroy turned over, unphased by this, and dragged Thranduil's forearm with him. _What was in that pie? _He thought to himself, screwing up his face in perplextion. He didn't like dreams and he hadn't enjoyed this one. Except for Thorin trying to work a bow_. Ha._

"Eck-hem. Mr Thranduil Greenleaf I presume?" The Raven said, perched on the wooden end of the bed. "I have a message for you and I've been promised food if I deliver it, so hurry up and listen." He said, sounding board of the conversation already. He fixed an eye on the child that lay asleep next to the elf and raised a metaphorical eyebrow. _Didn't the King of Mirkwood only have one son?_

Thranduil took a moment to absorb the scene before laughing maniacally. "There's a bird talking to me" He said aloud, confirming his insanity. "WHY IS THERE A BIRD TALKING TO ME?!" Came the exasperated realisation, waking up the Elfling. "There was _definitely_ something in that pie."

"There's obviously nothing in your head, because apparently I am speaking to an idiot. Yes I am talking to you and I have a message to you from Fili, Prince under the mountain. So for valar's sake, if you wouldn't mind, listen to the message and let me go eat!" The bird exclaimed, trying not to be too loud as to wake the boy, but loud enough to show how frustrated he was at the imbecile on the bed.

"Now, look here you black feathered bastard!" Thranduil said in an angry whisper, pointing a finger at the sassy bird. "If you take me for some sort of - Fili? Oh, this is going to be agonisingly unpleasant." He groaned and rubbed his eyes as the raven's words hit him. "What is it?"

"Message begins: Kili has recently wrote to me explaining his situation. While I heartily agree with my brother about this mission to Erebor that you are sending your son on, I believe that it will be good for us. You have my support, even if Thorin disagrees. You can thank Kili for this. He clearly thinks well of you, but I do not hesitate to say that if you dare hurt him, I will not be pleased at all. I hope you understand this. Message ends. If you want to send a message back, I need a payment of food." Roäc explained, ruffling his feathers. If a bird could smirk, that would be his expression as he radiated sarcasm.

Thranduil sat still for a moment, unwilling to show the smug creature his thoughts. "What, do I say it out loud, or write it? And there's pie in the kitchen. If you find Kili, he'll bring you some." He sighed and stroked his chin thoughtfully. He did not like this bird, even remotely, and wanted him to take his leave.

"If it's too long to remember, write a letter. If not say it aloud." The bird said, cheering up with the promise of food. "I have to stop by Kili anyway, so I will do just that."

Rolling his eyes, Thranduil made to speak. "You know what? You should just go to Kili. Elves have their own ways of sending letters." He sighed, prying Falaroy's death grip from his arm as gently as possible and making for the desk.

Roäc scowled and flew off, muttering about good for nothing elves and how he could see where the King under the mountain was coming from. "_Elves._" he said, flying out of the window and to Kili's room.

"Well, there's one ally." Thranduil sighed, readying the quill and ink. Falaroy had gotten up now, unhappy with the lack of warmth and comfort that was there before, and walked to Thranduil. He clung to his arm agai and snuggled his face into it. "Sorry I woke you up…" The Elvenking laughed, bringing the Elfling onto his lap. No reply. "Are you going to break my room again?" Falaroy softly shook his head and curled himself up wearily. _Thank the Valar…_and with that he got to writing.

-oOo-

Author's note:

Hello again! Ellie's back today, so there should be an update soon.

Thanks for reading,

Tam and Tanith

Sub note:  
Hey there! Tanith here.  
A - Ah  
Yallume - At last  
Tua amin - Help me  
Amin delotha lle - I hate you

Kulhu - what

And if you want to read the letters from Kili to Bilbo and Fili, you can find them here: s/9560496/1/From-Mirkwood-to-Erebor-and-back-again 


	21. Sweet troubles

Kili sent the raven back to Fili and lay back on the bed. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. _Well.. today went….. Well? No, not well. Interesting is the word I'd use. Who is the kid anyway? And how on earth did he manage to get on the ceiling?! He was only just smaller than me! __**That's not hard though, is it?**__ Sod off. __**So, do you plan on kissing him again?**__ Did you not hear me? __**You really should.**__ I mean it. __**You liked it before, so why not now?**__ I am going to count to three. __**Fine, I'm going. I really think you should listen to me more though.**_

* * *

Thranduil was bored. Falaroy had drifted back to sleep, he had finished his letter to Fili, and now he was wide awake. He rested his long legs up on the desk and swirled a bottle of ink intently, when an idea came to him. He snuck around the bed so as not to disturb the Elfling - who had gladly obliged when Thranduil had asked for one of Legolas' old soft toys - and reached for his book on Dwarf mythology again. There he found an illustration of some runes, and began to write them on his forearm with the ink and quill. _**Why are you doing this? It's just so shockingly pointless**_. _Leave me alone. I hate you. You called me weak.__**Well, you did cry in front of a Dwarf you've known for under a week. **__No. I don't want to hear anything you have to say. If you must know, I'm just bored. And it's not my fault, he lulled me into a sense of security. With his eyes…and…his voice. __**Mhm**__. Die. _He didn't know exactly when his personality had split inside his head, but he hated one half of it.

* * *

Kili sighed and turned over in the bed, trying to get sleep to stop avoiding him. He got up and walked over to the window, dragging a chair over so he could watch the world tick by. That's how he fell asleep, to the sound of light rain and wind in the trees.

* * *

Dawn came, and Thranduil continued to work on his arm. He had had no sleep, though he had somehow managed to write any runes he could get his hands on from his wrist to his shoulder whilst internally battling himself. Both inner Thranduils had had a huge falling out sometime between 3am - 3:30, and so they hadn't talked for a few hours. Then one piped up. _**Hey, hey, do you know what you could do?**__ No. Piss off__**. You should kiss Kili this time. **__What time? No more times, Thranduil__**. Okay, but, you should. **__What, one minute you're calling me weak for crying in front of him, and now you want me to do this? Leave. _Silence_. Good. Stay wherever you've gone. _He sighed and rested his head on the desk._**You messed up your arm**__. DEAR. LORD. LEAVE._

* * *

Kili turned over in sleep. His dreams consisted of Erebor and Mirkwood, and all of them turned out to have Thranduil in it. The first one that plagued him was of Fili, rejecting him for his friendship… Well whatever there was between them. When his mind rejected that to be stupid, another showed Thorin running him out of the mountain for trusting the elf he was sworn against. All of them didn't end well and Kili fell into a more fitful sleep as time went on.

Thranduil had been defeated. He bent his head and smiled despite himself as his mind bombarded him with images of Kili. He was broken from his trance as he felt a small tug at his hair. "Thrandy?" The small voice of his newly acquired son spoke from behind him. _I like that_. _It's like a nickname. _"Hmm?" "I'm hungry." Falaroy moaned a little, clinging to the teddy. "Well then."Thranduil said gently. "We may just have to take you to the kitchens and get you some food." He swept the Elfling up in his arms and made for the kitchens.

* * *

Kili was finally woken up by an annoyed looking bird, who gave him Bilbo and Fili's message and perched on his shoulder, pulling at his hair and demanded food. "Fine you bloody bird! Why do I put up with you?! Seriously Oscar would be so much better at- OUCH! There is _no_ need to pull my hair!" _Birds! __**Drop in to see Thrandy on the way past.**__ No. The bird might actually kill me. __**Admit it. You love him.**__ If I told you to sod off, would you?__** No.**__ Didn't think so._ Kili sighed and walked to the door to take the infuriating bird to the kitchens.

"So…omelette?" Thranduil smiled, setting the Elfling on a stool. "Yum." Falaroy nodded in response. Thranduil pottered around the kitchen, rolling his linen sleeves up to make cooking easier. "I want hair like yours when I grow up." Falaroy declared, drooling a little bit and wiping it on his sleeve. Laughing in response, Thranduil shook his head. "Well, you're halfway there with the colour."

_As if I didn't notice that. __**Well you can be blind sometimes**__. And _who's_ fault is that? __**Yours, obviously.**__ Oh do shut up, you're being ridiculous. _**I'm ridiculous…** Kili sighed and tried to stop the sound of bickering coming from his head, and trying to tune out Roäc, who was babbling away about a girl he met who he intends to build a nest with in the spring. Kili had never been so happy to see the kitchen in his life.

Concentrating on perfecting the omelette, Thranduil chuckled as the Elfling carried on babbling about his hair. "Your hair is shiny. Is it soft, can I touch it? Can I cuddle it when I'm sleepy?" All of this rang through the air as he pretended to make the teddy walk on the counter. Thranduil rolled up his disobedient shirt sleeve again and put the cooked omelette on a platter. "Maybe after you've eaten." He smiled gently, cutting it up and handing Falaroy the fork.

Kili walked through the door and into the kitchens, his mind reaching a compromise to shut up and let fate take its course, but Roäc didn't stop babbling. He walked over to the store, taking out some cooked meat from the refrigerated area and put it on the table. "There you are, you infuriating bird!" he muttered, walking back over to the store to get out something for himself.

Thranduil stopped his thoughts as that arrogant talking raven from the night before nestled itself on the counter perfectly opposite. He glared. The raven glared. He continued to try to out -glare the thing for a good minute or so before remembering that birds don't have eyelids, so don't have to blink, and resorted to flipping it off. "Morning Kili. Sleep well?" He said finally as his expression softened and he smiled

Kili glared at the bird when he got back and smiled at the two elves sat at the table. "Not really. Nightmares struck. I'm good though, I will survive." He smiled, chucking the meat onto the table and sat down opposite the elfling. "So, you shouted at me from the ceiling, but you never told me your name." He smirked at the child.

Quirking his brow slightly, Thranduil rolled his sleeves down and waited for the Elfling to reply. "Falaroy!" He said excitedly, halfway through a mouthful of omelette.

"Nightmares? That's odd…I had one too." Thranduil said thoughtfully, hoping that the Dwarf hadn't noticed the blatant and badly written runes on his arm before covering it.

Kili quirked an eyebrow at the Elf, catching one set of runes on his arm. "Thranduil? Why do you have 'I like cheese' written on your arm?" He smirked, watching the elf pull up his sleeve again to look at the runes. Kili winked at Falaroy, who laughed at his new entertainer. "Oh, so you do speak Westron then? Glad to know for future reference." He laughed, turning his head to see Thranduil finish examining his arm and glare at Kili who only laughed harder.

Thranduil blushed distinctively and laughed with embarrassment. _**Who told you it was shockingly pointless?**__ Yeah, who also urged me to kiss the damn Prince again, hmm? __**You could always do it now, wipe that smug grin off his face**__. No, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to do anything you say. Besides that, the bird's watching. __**Whatever you say, Mr. Cheese**__. Sod off. _"I…uh…I suppose I just thought it would be interesting to practice runes…on my arm…because that's the obvious place to do so." He said finally, resting his head on his arms.

Kili laughed at the Elf and picked at the meat. "You should have just asked, I would have helped you not write I like cheese on your arm." He smirked, batting Roäc away from the meat, who flew off. Grumbling to himself about dwarves to give the message to Fili. Kili sighed and wrapped up the meat again, scooting it out of the way. "Right you, tell me the story of how you ended up on the ceiling." He smirked at the two elves, one happily digging into his omelette, the other groaning into his arms. Kili laughed, reading a few more of the runes, that got progressively more amusing as you read on.

Thranduil wished he could explain the situation to Kili properly without feeling pathetic, but the Elfling got there before he could attempt it. "Thrandy is going to look after me for a little while, because my Ada's gone to a better place they said. I don't know about that, but I hope it's full of sweets for him." Falaroy chortled. "I was given some sweets before Thrandy started looking after me, so I wanted to have lots of fun and run around and I think I scared Thrandy a little bit." He finished, pouting and tugging Thranduil's hair gently. "I'm sorry." He said sweetly. Thranduil lifted his head and grinned at Kili, shrugging.

"That's it, in a nutshell. Too many sweets."

"Thrandy?" The dwarf smirked. "Can I call you that now?" He asked, trying and failing not to give in to laughter. "So, we keep you off the sweets then. I'm sure we can find you something else to annoy Thrandy with. In fact, I can think of ten already." He chuckled.

"Ooh, I bet you can, Durin." Thranduil chuckled despite himself. "No. You're going to have to earn the right to call me that. Just because I'm feeling mean." He said with a satisfied grin. He readied the ingredients to make himself an omelette.

Kili smirked and looked at Thranduil. _**I can think of plenty of ways to earn that right.**__ I did not just hear that. __**You have a mind that just lives in the gutter. You know that, so why fight it?**__ Because some of us have standards. __**To do what? Not snog the Elf King senseless while he's cooking?**__ Exactly… Although that does sound rather fun. NO KILI, that is a bad idea._ "Ooh, and how am I going to do that then? Any suggestions?"

"Do you want an omelette?" The Elvenking called over his shoulder. Falaroy nodded eagerly. "Not you, you've had enough." He laughed and turned his attentions back to cooking. _There's something familiar about those two sitting there…something right_.**_ I agree._**_Well I'll be bludgeoned by an Orc. You actually agree_.

"Yeah, I'd love one Thrandy." He called over, before dropping his voice to a whisper "I'll half it with you." He murmured to the elfling, noting that the elf had completely avoided his question, giving him the immense pleasure of calling him Thrandy.

"Nope. None of that. I'm sure you'll figure away around it. I refer again to the fact that you're a Durin." Thranduil laughed, cracking the eggs and deciding to make one big omelette and half it. _Yeah, that works. You're in a surprisingly good mood considering you've had no sleep._..

_Damn._ "I forgot about your supersonic bat hearing." He scowled. "Do you want me to get plates? Or are you eating out of the pan?" He asked, pulling a face at Thranduil, making Falaroy laugh.

Thranduil whipped his head around just in time to see Kili's tongue flick back into his mouth and sneer fade away. "If you keep this mischief up, I'll eat it all to myself." He smirked coyly. "I'll get the plates."

"You love me really." He smirked, resting his head on a hand, watching Thranduil work in the Kitchen. _**Well I don't know about you, but I could definitely get used to watching him in the morning. **__Back off gonzo. __**Ooh, protective are we?**__ No. __**Denying it are we?**__ Adding 'are we' to a statement doesn't make it funny or clever. __**Avoiding the obvious, are we?**__ Being a prat, are we? …Actually that works quite well._

"Well that may be," Thranduil began, setting a plate down in front of Kili and one where he was about to sit. "But I also love food. And considering that was in my life first, I think it's giving you a run for your money." He separated the omelette equally on each place and smiled.

_**Woah there gonzo, did he just say…?**__ I don't know. __**you were joking, right?**__ Yes, well mocking. He seems to take it literally. __**Yes! Get in! I told you so. Party at mine, bring your own drinks!**__ I hate you. __**He loves you! That calls at least for some celebration!**__ Shut up and sod off. __**Kiss him. Kiss him now, kiss him quick.**__ Bugger off! __**Fine! I'm going, I'm going. Oh and your omelette's going cold.**__ What? Oh shit._ Kili picked up his knife and fork, and started cutting up his omlette, sneaking a piece on Falaroy's plate every so often when he thought Thranduil wasn't looking.

Raising an eyebrow at Kili's lack of stealth, around about the time he was sneaking the third bit of food onto the Elfling's plate, Thranduil laughed. **_You're not going to let him get away with that_**? _No, __**you're**__ not.__** I**__ would quite happily let it slide._ "Don't think you're getting away with that." He smirked between forkfuls. **_You could always make him pay it back with kisses_**. _No I couldn't Sauron. Now shut up and eat your omelette._

Finishing his food, Kili smiled at the happy look on Falaroy's face and the smirk on Thranduil's. Knowing he hadn't got away with it and that he'd probably pay for it later, he smirked and picked up his empty plate and put it in the pile that was soon to be washed.

Thranduil sighed, resting his head in his hand. "You know what we should do?" He said nonchalantly, watching Falaroy potter around with the toy before turning to look at Kili.

_**Kiss? **__Shut up. _"No idea. Shoot." He said sitting back down in his seat and looking at the elf prince. **_Kissing is a good pastime, and there's lots of places that could lead to. _**_I'm warning you, I will evict you, voice of reason or not. Go and annoy Thorin._

"When Elrond arrives. We should camp instead of sleeping in the study." Thranduil suggested, watching Kili's facial expression carefully. "It was just a thought." "I wanna come too!" Falaroy pleaded almost instantly_. You should keep him. He's sweet. __**Which one, Casanova?**__ Yeah, you're funny. Pe-channas._

"…In a tent?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. "I've never slept in a tent before, never had the need." **_If the tent's a-rocking, don't come a-knocking. _**_I swear to Mahal that I will find a way to kill you._

"Well, I was just thinking bed rolls and a campfire, but whatever suits you." Thranduil shrugged with a grin. "Can I come too?!" Falaroy repeated, begging for a reply. "I'll think about it."**_ Did you just say that? Thranduil, that's practically 'yes' to a child._**

"I'm good with just bed rolls," He smiled, leaning over the table to pull Falaroy's arm to get him back on the seat from where he was falling off. "If that suits you anyway." **_Bedrolls are good. Thorin and Bilbo_**** managed.** _Oh Aulë save me from this._

"That suits me well." Thranduil smiled, leaning a little closer to Kili. _**Life is unfair. You may as well get what you want from it**__. I agree. _And with that he planted a brief kiss on Kili's soft lips, pulling away to take his plate to the pile as Falaroy made a face of disgust_. Why did you just do that you maniac? Play it cool, play it cool. You have this under control…_

Kili sat in shock, before looking over at Falaroy who's face was a mixture between disgust and laughter. "Shut up, you." He scowled, rooting through the pockets of his trousers to find a toy that Bofur gave him before leaving the blue mountains and chucked it over to Falaroy, before getting up off of the seat to walk towards Thranduil. _What are you doing? Kili stop it. Bad idea. __**Oh, do shut up for once. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. **_Kili jumped up to sit on the work table and tapped the Elf's arm to get him to turn around and look at him. "You think you're going to get away with it that easily?" He asked, leaning towards him and kissed him gently, wrapping a hand in the elf's shirt.

Thranduil only had time to yelp a little as he was pulled into another kiss. He yanked Kili closer to him and engulfed him in his arms, surrendering to it completely.

"Are you gonna be my Ada too, Kili?" Falaroy shouted excitedly, noting the connection between the two.

Kili pulled away slightly, looking over at the elfling. **_Well, the trick with the toy didn't work. What's your next one?_**_ Shut up, I'm busy trying to work that out._ _**Better do it fast then.**_"Um, I don't know about that, but I can be your uncle if that suits you?" He stuttered, leaning into Thranduil. _**Well saved.**__ Shut up. __**Oh, just ignore him and kiss the tall one. **__The tall one has a name. __**I know that. **__Oh yeah? What is it? __**Sexy. **__I rather set myself up for that one, didn't I?_

Squeezing Kili tighter, his mind swarming with excitement that traveled all through his body, his skin flushing a deep red, Thranduil waited for the Elfling to nod his head before hungrily kissing the Dwarf again._** Thranduil, there's a child by there.**__ I don't care. __**Yes, and how far is this little escapade going to go until you do? **_Thranduil considered all of the things he could do to Kili right now did he genuinely not care for Falaroy's mental health_. A very, very long way…_

Kili smiled into the kiss, surrendering power to Thranduil, letting him take control. He moved his hand from the Elf's shirt and hooked both hands around his neck, trying to get closer to him.

A spark went off inside of the Elvenking as he let the feeling of desire overwhelm him, giving into his animalistic instinct._** Thra - Thranduil - Thranduil.**_ He grasped onto Kili's hips roughly and grunted aloud to acknowledge his conscience. **_THRANDUIL_**. _Wha - oh, oh, oh. I should stop_._** You think?! That poor Elfling**_. _I'm an idiot._ Reluctantly, he broke the long lasting kiss. He blushed distinctively and laughed as he saw that Falaroy had turned his back.

Kili smirked at the King's flushed face and looked over to where Falaroy was sat with the toy. "That boy has sense, he'll go far." He chuckled. "Should we go and rescue him? Or are you happy by here?" He asked, looking up at the king.

Looking down wistfully at Kili's amused face, Thranduil sighed. "Truthfully? I could just stay here for time. But I fear the little one would get restless." He daringly planted another kiss on Kili's forehead and squeezing one last time before letting go and making his way to the Elfling.

"That was yucky. Why were you eating his face? Didn't the omlut fill you up?" The young boy asked curiously. **_You did go a bit rough on him there…._**_Oh look at you all judgey judge. _"You know, I don't think it did_."_

Kili jumped down off of the table, missing the warmth that Thranduil had brought. _**Screw the kid.**__ No thanks.__** See what I mean? Mind in the gutter.**__ No, I mean I like Falaroy, he's alright for a child. _Kili smiled, walking over to where Falaroy was sat and sat down on the chair next to him. "Eating each other's face? You mean kissing? And I'm still a bit hungry…" He smirked at Thranduil before turning back to the child. "So, did you manage to figure out how it works?

Thranduil laughed quietly. "Well if you're peckish later I could whip you something up." He winked discreetly and sat opposite the two. He was impassioned now, alive. A new energy coursed through his veins. **_Oh you are in love_**…He watched intently as the Dwarf bonded with the boy, teaching him how to work the wooden toy, and realised that he was beaming like a madman.

"I think I'd like that." He smiled, turning back around to face the boy. "Then that goes in like that, and vouila, It opens!" He said excitedly as the box opened to reveal small figures and a note. He took the piece of paper and handed the child the box.

"Kili? This one's you!" Falaroy cried, showing the dwarf the small figure.

"So it is… They're all members of the company. See this one here? That's my brother Fili with the blond hair. Then you have the brothers Dori, That one there, Nori - the one with the star shaped hair, and Ori, the one with the book. Those are Bifur, Bombur and Bofur," _How like Bofur to carve one of himself… _Kili went on to talk about each member of the company until he got to a small model of his uncle. "Now this one here, this is my uncle. He's the King under the Mountain of Erebor. And the person he's holding onto is a hobbit called Bilbo Baggins. He was the burglar of our group."

Thranduil raised his brow at the intricacy of the toy. "That's very impressive. Whoever did this got Thorin's broodiness down to a T." He chuckled, studying the figure that was carved to cling to the Hobbit. "That must have taken a good long while." He reveled in the child's delight.

Kili chuckled, examining the one of Fili. "It was Bofur, the one with the hat. He's always been good at making toys. Bifur, the one with the axe lodged in his skull, probably helped him too. I've been meaning to open this for a while." He smiled, putting down the figurine. "And if I know Bofur…" He muttered, picking up the empty box, "It will do this!" He said, pushing in another side, turning it into a small model of the toy he had lost in the Goblin Kingdom. "There you go." He smiled, giving the small toy to Falaroy.

"Again. Fantastic" Thranduil smiled with amazement. "I wish Elvish toys were that interesting…" He looked at the battered teddy in Falaroy's hand. _He seems to like it.._. then an idea came to him. "Do you think if I payed Bofur he would make some for him?" He asked thoughtfully and ran a hand through his hair.

"Definitely. He's never got much interesting stuff to do, so he ends up doing things like this. I think that he could make some things up. Shall I send the raven when he comes back?" He asked, resting his head on a hand, admiring the Gandalf figure. He picked it up and looked underneath and found a khuzdul inscription. _Less impressive wizard? What's under Thorin's if that's Gandalf's?_ He thought, placing it carefully down on the table and picking up the one of Thorin and Bilbo. _Sleep disturbers. Huh, makes sense._

Thranduil's expression turned to a hostile glare. "No. I'll write. I do not like that bird at all." He insisted as he looked down to the floor. "That reminds me…your brother sent me a message. He's in favour of the alliance. He's also very protective of you…" He continued to focus his frosty eyes on a spot on the floor before cracking a little smile.

Kili chuckled at the elf and put the figure down on the table. "Fili sent you a message? What.. What did it say?" he asked, sobering up almost immediately. "Protective? What do you mean?" He asked, adopting a worried look.

"He said he was in favour of this. But if I hurt you he wouldn't be happy. I can't imagine why I would ever hurt you." He frowned a little, recalling what the message had read.

"He's being weary I guess. I think that was the 'Hurt him, I'll kill you and burn you to ashes' talk." Kili sighed, turning around to Falaroy. "Can I put the figures back in so they don't get damaged?" He asked quietly, looking at the figures once more before transforming the toy back into a box, carefully placing all of the figures with their respective family, leaving Fili until last, and closed the box, transforming it into a toy again. "Keep that safe for me, won't you?"

Thranduil shrugged and kept silent, watching the two contently and feeling that there was nothing left to say. Falaroy seemed happy enough, and Kili did too. The Elvenking just yawned and stretched.

"Why don't you go get some sleep and I'll look after Falaroy? In all fairness, you look Knackered." He said, standing up from the stool. "I'll find the other children, and bring him back in about an hour or two. What do you say?"

Thranduil shook his head wearily. "I'll be fine. I had about an hour's sleep." _**Why are you trying to be masculine and impressive? You're tired….**_"I'll just stretch it out"

"Idiot. Go to bed, you've had what, an hour at most?" Kili said, coaxing Falaroy off of the seat. "Don't worry about us, We'll be fine, trust me." He smiled as he walked around to the other side of the table and rised up on his toes to peck him on the cheek. "Besides, we're not going to do anything in an hour, you need to give me more time than that."

Scoffing slightly, Thranduil lent down to greet the kiss gratefully. "Remember the time you drowned my kingdom in paint in seven minutes and three seconds?" He grinned, bending to the floor to embrace Falaroy warmly. _May as well listen to the Durin._ He thought to himself.

"You still owe me that ale." He smirked, leaning against the table. "Anyway, that was planned in advance. I knew what I was going to do days before I actually put the plan in motion. Besides, there's nothing I can gain from decorating your kingdom with streamers." He chuckled, watching the Elf's face fall slightly in worry.

"No more destruction. I beg of you." Thranduil said worriedly, knotting his brow. "When I wake up I don't want to see any paint, streamers or distraught Elves. My kingdom exactly how you left it."

"Trust me."

"I'll try." He sighed, waving goodbye to the both of them and making his way out of the door._**Can you trust him? **__Yeeeaaayybee?_

-oOo-

Author's note:

Hello sweetie! I'm back from France/Belgium and now sat back in Wales. What a crap place I live in. It came as a surprise to come home to find this updated. I'll go back through it and see if everything's alright (not that I don't have faith in you Tam, I just want to make sure grammar's alright etc.). Meanwhile, here's a new chapter.

Thanks for reading,  
Tam and Tanith


	22. Meanwhile, in Erebor

Meanwhile, in the intricately carved stone halls of Erebor, a considerably disappointed Thorin Oakenshield glared at his eldest Nephew from his equally as intricate throne. He had been doing so for sometime, having almost no reaction to Fili's incredulous outburst and thus nothing to say, so he decided to put on his most threatening Durin's glare.

"Oh for Mahal's sake, get it over with. Tell me exactly what you think. Just stop glaring at me as it's wasting time and doing nothing for you." Fili groaned, folding his arms and glaring back at the King. "I don't even know what's wrong with her! My mother married under her status, and you've taken a hobbit for a consort.. Don't give me that look, it's true, so what's wrong with Lónia?"

Thorin finally shifted a little. "She's a peasant, Fili. Bilbo was wealthy. That's the difference. It is the oldest tradition of Erebor and I intend to follow it through." He said sternly, keeping the same stubborn expression.

"So you married Bilbo for wealth, not love. I'm sure he'd be pleased to hear that." He said, starting to pace. "She would be wealthy as soon as she married in. And they have a bit of wealth in the family." He argued.

Jaw dropping to the floor, Thorin's glare intensified. "For all intents and purposes, Bilbo just _happened_ to have money. I fell in love with him out of coincidence. As I just stated, this tradition is an old one. If you cannot respect the laws of your kingdom then you are not fit to become king!" And that was that. Thorin would make _sure_ of it.

"Well that's settled then. I don't want the crown if it means I can't be with her. Find yourself a new heir Thorin Oakensheild!" He fumed, stopping in front of his uncle. "And don't come crying to me if Kili says no!" _I wouldn't be surprised if he did say no, he seems at home at Mirkwood. Besides, there are still dwarves loyal to me. I will support him if he does stay with Thranduil, which seems likely if their relationship's gone where I think it has…_

Thorin's glare was something new entirely. He was about to break. Leaning forward, he grabbed Fili by the collar. "If you think for one second that your youngest brother would abandon Erebor to get buggered by our sworn enemy then you don't deserve to be a member of this bloodline." He spat, releasing his nephew and sinking back into his throne.

"Oh Aulë, this is rich!" Fili laughed almost manically. "You can never see past the end of your nose, can you? Kili likes it there. He doesn't get told he's too young to understand and he gets listened to there. Are you that surprised that he'd rather be away from this dysfunctional, gold lusting family? Thranduil's shown him a simple life where he can be himself, and I'm quite certain that Kili would rather bugger the elf than come back."

Trying to keep his composure, the king under the mountain grit his teeth. "If you hate this family so much, then why don't you go and live in Mirkwood?!" He roared, losing control. "Perhaps you could share the precious Elvenking!" And with that he stormed from his throne to make his way out of the hall. "And do not use Elvish phrases under my rule, _peasant" _He hissed as he turned to Fili one last time.

Fili staggered away from Thorin. "If Thranduil is his one, I will support it, not interfere with it! What kind of heartless dwarf do you take me for?" He shouted, following him out of the throne room and down the corridor. "You put the kingdom before everything, even your own happiness! You almost lost Bilbo because of it! Why can't you just be happy for us?!" He cried, his voice wavering as he watched Thorin turn down a corridor.

Fili's words had effected Thorin. If only a little. He wouldn't show this however. He continued to storm even when his nephew could no longer see him. He hadn't almost lost Bilbo at all. Bilbo could have defended himself well enough…could he not? Thorin still carried on brooding until he got to his chambers, wherein he concluded it would be healthy to brood some more.

Bilbo was sat in a chair next to the balcony in his and thorin's chambers, reading a book on the history of Erebor that he and Ori had found at the back of the Library, when Thorin stormed into the room and threw himself onto the bed. "Uh.. Thorin? What's up?" He asked, placing the book down and walking warily to the bed.

"My two Nephews, Bilbo. The closest things I have to sons." He sighed and turned onto his back, having fallen face-first into the pillows. "Abandoning their kingdom and their family for what they feel is 'love'. Fili for the peasant girl and Kili for…that pointy-eared bastard. I won't even mention his name." He huffed.

"Thorin… Fili loves the kingdom, and just gets annoyed at the people sometimes. He can love who he wants. And as for Kili, where has he ever said he loves Thr-the elf? He might like it there as well as Erebor. You can like two places. I like the shire, but I like it here. You're just a bit annoyed they're growing up and you haven't got the same control as you used to." He said, sitting on the bed next to him, running his hand through his hair comfortingly. "Just think before you do something rash, otherwise you might lose them all together."

Thorin groaned a little. _Why did Bilbo always have to be the voice of reason? _"Fili said that he thinks their relationship is at that level. Not that I care. If neither of them want to be a part of this bloodline then they can get stuffed. Fili has no regard for the laws and Kili…well…he's willingly resting with the enemy. I have just as much control as when they were Dwarflings…don't I?" His voice wavered slightly now and he reveled in the feeling of Bilbo lacing his gentle fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry Thorin, but they've grown up. If Fili likes this girl, meet her. And if Kili is choosing to be there, there's nothing you can do but accept it. They both love you as a father, but they need to do things their way. You never know, this girl that Fili's been courting might have a good hand that could help in the politics. Also you're guaranteed that the line will go on then. And as for Kili, that could set up a much needed trade route and an alliance between Elves and Dwarves that could be useful. There are plus sides to this situation. Just.. Just think about it." He said, picking out a bit of Thorin's hair and started to braid it.

Rolling onto his stomach, Thorin sighed with defeat. "Every point you just made was excellent. Now I feel like a total arse." He groaned into the pillow. _Damn you Bilbo Baggins_. "I'll think about it. You know, you have a nasty habit of making me 'think about it.'"

"That's what I'm here for love. Now stop sulking and go do something productive." He smirked, kissing head and went to move to go back to his book.

-oOo-

Author's note:

Hello people! So here's the next chapter, and for this we've momentarily traveled to Erebor, where Thorin is an arse and Bilbo shows his more reasonable side.  
When Fili talks about Thorin nearly loosing Bilbo, he's referring to multiple times on the road when, as we saw in the film, he was a complete and utter git to the hobbit, also towards the end of their journey as he's succumbing to Gold Fever. Not only that, Thorin _does _hang the hobbit over the side of the mountain because of him taking the Arkenstone.  
Although Bilbo did take the arkenstone in this au, Thorin is brought to his senses by the rest of the company and as I'm a Thilbo shipper (trying to convince Tam) I think that on the journey, he becomes Thorin's consort, so Thorin doesn't banish him from the mountain, but either goes on an almighty huff through the mountains to go sulk or pulls the hobbit to him and apologises for being a class A idiot.

As always, thanks for reading.

Tanith and Tam.


	23. Two!

Thranduil awoke with an uneasy, nagging feeling; He couldn't place what it was, but he anxiety clung to him like a sloth and he didn't like it. He stretched heartily and covered himself in the blankets, hoping to hide himself from it. To no avail. _**Get up and find him, lover boy**_. His inner Sauron commanded out of nowhere, making his legs swing off the bed and walk towards his dresser. _Fine…Don't want to argue first thing in the whatever._

The elf had fallen in the water. How he even managed to climb high enough to get in there was beyond Kili, but Falaroy seemed to have an affinity for these things. Kili had pulled him out and dragged him back to his room, grabbing one of his own shirts and hoes that looked like it would fit the child. When he had managed to get the elfling out of his sodden clothes and into some dry ones, he gave him a toy from his bag that had entertained Kili for hours at the Blue Mountains before sitting the elf down in front of him to re-braid his hair. "How did you even get up there?! I mean… How? I didn't give you anything to eat in the way of… What did you get while Thrandy and I were… Preoccupied?" He asked as he watched the Elf's face pull into a rather good imitation of his own smirk.

"Thrandy keeps a jar of sweets in the bottom cupboard. It was easy to get them while you and ada was eating each other's faces." Falaroy chirped smugly, leaning back into Kili as he braided his hair in a spiraling braid that, true to his earlier promise, meant nephew.

"You crafty little… You're doing well. That was very good… Don't tell Thrandy I said that though." He grinned, finishing off the braid.

Trudging slowly down the corridor, the Elvenking came to Kili's room and knocked on the heavy door, before slipping in silently. The sight he was met with was a calming one, to say the least. A content Falaroy sat in Kili's lap, and a rather pleased with himself Kili harboring him. No mess, no destruction, just peace. Thranduil sighed with relief and smiled.

"There we go, mischief. All done." He smiled, hugging Falaroy, who yawned and lent back into Kili's arms.

"Night 'li." He muttered as he drifted off in Kili's arms. _A bath then bed…_ his mind supplied, making him smile as he picked the boy up and put him under the covers to sleep, taking the wooden toy out of his grasp and replaced it with soft toy that Falaroy had insisted on taking with him to the square. He turned around and smiled at Thranduil, who he didn't see sneak in.

Thranduil smiled gently in return, watching the small boy drift off. "He seems exhausted. What did you do with him?" He chuckled softly, leaning against the door frame.

"I didn't. Ask him in the morning, He'll have a couple of things to explain. And I think you should find somewhere else to put your sweet jar." He smirked, looking over at the exhausted Falaroy.

Face dropping in terror, Thranduil stood for a moment. "Dear Lord. What...what did he do?" He asked anxiously, wondering if this was the feeling that was nagging at him when he woke up. He took in Kili's amused expression. "Kili this isn't funny. What did he do?"

"Uh... I think we'd better go out into the corridor to explain this one." He said, slipping out into the corridor and lent on the wall. He watched Thranduil come out of the door then sighed. "I had to pull him out of the fountain. I have no idea how it happened or how the hell he got up there! Seriously, does that child levitate? I took my eye of him to say hello in Elvish like you taught me to, as this person has been trying to speak to me for a while. I don't know why, but I'd thought I'd be polite, and then all I heard was this splash. I pulled him out and got him dry and into warm clothes." He explained, watching Thranduil's face carefully. "He said it was because of the sweets that he nicked when we were kissing in the Kitchen. He didn't just turn his back; he went foraging for sugar, so it's not actually my fault."

Thranduil sighed and leant his head against the wall. "No. No, it's mine. I shouldn't have let it get that far in front of him. He's a child. You did what you could. I can't ask for much more than that." He squeezed Kili's shoulder and smiled gently. "He's safe, and so are you. That's all that matters. Thank you."

_Well, that was unexpected. __**Shut up and go with it.**_ "No problem. How long will he be out for?" He asked, thinking back to how he had to drag the child out of the pool and climb down the side of the wall without hurting him.

"I don't know, I've had him for two days." Thranduil said with an element of hostility. "He woke up once last night. Maybe the same will happen tonight." He shrugged nonchalantly, taking a moment to appreciate Kili's presence.

Kili looked at the door and back at Thranduil, vaguely noticing that he was being watched. "Should we go back in there or... Where else could we go?" He asked, getting up off of the wall and trailed his foot along the floor.

Cracking a smile, Thranduil made to speak. "My room? If you want to...I mean I don't find much pleasure in watching a 147 year old Elfling sleep." He rubbed the back of his neck wearily and glanced to the floor, keeping the smile.

**_Has your mind gone to the gutter, Kili? Oh wait. If my mind is yours too, then yes, it has_**_. I can feel the sarcasm, and you're not even real. __**Kili, I'm hurt.**__ What a shame._ "Sounds good to me." Kili smiled, walking over to where Thranduil was stood. "Lead the way. And 147?! How young is that?"

"Young. I'd say around 3 or 4 to the race of man. To your kind, I haven't a clue." Thranduil began walking. "So how old are you?" He smiled, quirking a brow. "I'd hate to think I've started something with a toddler."

"I'm about 20 to a man's age. I'm not that young. I'm 77. I'm old enough to go on quests and look after myself." He huffed. "I'm probably three in your society then." he frowned, kicking a stone off of the path.

Thranduil winced, his face screwing up and giving way to a grin. "It's lucky you're not an Elf because if you were this would probably be quite bad, given my age." He chuckled as Kili stropped and both continued to make their way to his chambers.

Kili stopped and stared open eyed at Thranduil. "If I am not even one yet, I am going to go find a corner to sulk in and stay there for the rest of the day." He said, folding his arms.

"Good news! You just made two." Thranduil said cheerfully, patting Kili on the back and walking ahead of him. "Only just though. You've got a long way to go if you want to catch up to me." He chuckled.

"TWO?!" He cried, as Thranduil chuckled to himself. "I am _not_ a toddler. Don't even think of picking me up." He muttered, trailing along behind the elf. _I hate being young. It seriously sucks._

Thranduil smirked to himself, turning around on his heels as an idea hit him. He lunged at the unsuspecting Dwarf and swept him up, throwing him over his shoulder. "It's much better than being old and haggard." He laughed heartily. "Still got some strength left in me."

"What?! No! No Thranduil! Put me down! Not good! Thranduil!" He cried, hitting his back weakly with his fists, He gave up and folded his arms against his chest. **_Hahaha._**_ Shut up!_

"Get comfortable." The Elvenking smirked as he felt Kili finally give up on himself. "I'm carrying you to my room." He broke in to a trot, and then a jog, and then a sprint to coax a reaction.

"Wait... You're What?! AHHH!" Kili said, wrapping his arms around The elf's back. "I hate you!" he said, hanging on for dear life. "Don't you _dare_ get faster. Thranduil, I'm warning you!"

Forcing his legs to go as fast as possible, letting his Elf speed take control Thranduil laughed warmly. "What are you going to do, vomit on me?!" He yelled through the laughter.

"Would it make you stop?!" He asked, lifting himself up to hang onto Thranduil's neck, wrapping his legs around Thranduil's body. "How far now?" He asked, murmuring into Thranduil's ear.

Shuddering at the burn of Kili's breath against his cheek, Thranduil lost his footing and tumbled to the ground, completing about five barrel rolls before rolling onto his stomach in hysterics. He laughed too much to breath, growing red in the face and clutching his stomach in pain. "Are you -" He paused to breath and laughed harder. "Are you okay?" He managed after a fit.

"Eeep!" Kili squealed as he saw the ground get closer to them and managed to get a better grip just before they hit the ground. After rolling straight over Thranduil and being thrown down next to him because of the momentum, Kili chuckled as he tried and failed to look at Thranduil without laughing. Settling on looking at the ceiling, he nodded. "I'm fine, going to have a few bruises though." He smiled. "You?"

Thranduil tried his hardest to calm himself down, failing miserably as tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I - I don't know why I'm laughing so much." He snorted, which was an incredibly un-Elvish thing to do, which made him blush with embarrassment and calm down a little.

"It's fine. When was the last time you actually laughed at something this much?" He asked breathlessly, raising an eyebrow. "That roll was fun. Can we do it again?" He asked, trying and failing to keep a straight face as he looked at Thranduil.

Trying to breath regularly again, a stifled chuckle escaping him every so often, Thranduil stared at the ceiling and smiled. "Not since I was the Prince and I ended up in the tree. _Valar_ I haven't laughed like that in 5,000 years." He said with wide eyes, his pale complextion evening out. He lay limp on the ground for a while before moving to get up.

"Well, it was due time then." Kili smiled, getting up off of the floor. "Want a hand, old man?" He smirked, holding out a hand to where Thranduil was able to reach it.

Thranduil raised a brow at this, batting Kili's hand away. "No. I can manage." He eased himself up onto his feet and began walking again, flipping his hair with an air of superiority_. Old man. Look at this lustrous mane of hair. Old men don't have hair._ Finally, he came to the extravagant door of his bed chambers.

Kili chuckled at the scowl that now inhabited Thranduil's face and walked along behind him. He followed Thranduil in through the door and turned to close it.

Now face to face - well, chest to face - Thranduil gazed down at Kili, before smiling and tumbling onto his bed face first. He groaned a little as the comfort of the bedding nursed the pain of the barrel roll.

Kili chuckled at the elf, looking around the tidy room. He laughed at the memory of the elf hanging from the ceiling (that boy can obviously float) and walked over to the bed. "Feel better?"

He tried his best to nod against the infinite padding of the feather pillow, and when that failed he mumbled 'Yes.' He dug his hands into the covers and yawned, wanting to be asleep again despite the nap he had woken from not half an hour ago.

**_Well this didn't go as we expected_**_. You expected. __**So did you gonzo, don't deny it.**__ I hate you. __**Love you too.**_ "Good." Kili chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed.

Thranduil rolled onto his back, watching Kili and contemplating what to do_. Are you going to say anything?_ silence. _Oi._ again nothing, so he decided to yank the Dwarf back, wrapping his arms around him and cuddling into his neck. "I'm better now, of course."

Kili let out a cry of surprise as he was pulled back into the elf's embrace. Kili placed a kiss on Thranduil's nose, grumbling about becoming Thranduil's teddy bear, and shuffled back to lie flush against him.

Leaning into the kiss, Thranduil smiled with content. "Well, if you want me to let go, I can." He chuckled, loosening his grip on his prisoner slightly.

Kili managed to twist around to look at Thranduil and smirked. He hooked a leg over the elf's side and rolled him over onto his back, with Kili stopping on his chest. "No, I'm fine." He smirked down at him, getting comfortable on Thranduil's chest.

Thranduil wrapped both arms around Kili completely and grinned. Then a thought hit him. "Do you think Thorin knows that you're here yet?" He asked slowly, knotting his brow with anxiety.

"Yes." He sighed, thinking back to the letter sent back by Fili. "He caught Fili reading the letter I sent Bilbo which had less information in before he could burn it. Thank god Fili had already burnt his." He muttered, burying his face into the king's chest. "It was all they could do to stop him from declaring war. He _really _doesn't like it, but he'll have to live with me being here."

Thranduil's face dropped and his eyes fluttered shut briefly. _Why can Thorin never be happy? Why can he never even try to care?_ He glared at the ceiling silently, with many questions such as this coursing through his mind as he kept a tighter grip of his Dwarf. _Mine. Not Thorin's. So there._

"I mean if he had found Fili's, he would already be here. Bilbo has enough sense to read between the lines and get what he can while Thorin would take everything at face value. Fili, I just started at the beginning and told him everything. All hell would break loose..." He sighed, not taking his head off of the elf's chest. "I'm not going back... He can't make me,"

Sighing wearily, Thranduil laced his hand into Kili's hair, running his fingers through it. He had to think of a way to handle this delicately. "And you don't have to." He paused for a moment to think. "If they come storming the gates for you...I only wish there was a way I could defend you without starting a war." The Elf gently caressed Kili's face with his free hand. "For both kingdoms, it would be more convenient if a war _didn't_ break out."

"There won't be a war, Bilbo, Balin, Ori and Fili managed to stop that thought right in his tracks." He reassured both Thranduil and himself. "There is, at least a little bit of sense in Erebor after all." He said, leaning into Thranduil's touch.

"As long as Thorin knows that you're here by will. I don't want him thinking that I'm forcing you to stay here." He sighed, moving both hands and embracing Kili. "If you do want to go back," He began thoughtfully, as if saying it pained him. "You're quite welcome to."

Kili clung to Thranduil, wrapping his arms around the elf. "I don't want to. I like it here. I'm happy. He knows that I want to be here, Bilbo practically drilled it into him." He said, looking up at his face.

Returning the embrace, Thranduil smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." He whispered softly. "But should the need ever arise, don't worry about me." He nuzzled Kili's face fondly.

Kili smiled at the king. "I will." He smiled, reveling in the closeness. **_Nnnoooooowww kiss!_**_ Sod off, I'm enjoying this. __**You might not have the time if Thorin **_**does****_ decide to storm the castle._**_ Let me just enjoy this, alright?_

Thranduil leant his head back again and wore his smile like a prize. "We're like this. It hasn't even been a week. It took me 50 years to propose to my wife." He chuckled fondly, making sure there wasn't an inch's distance between them.

"50... That's even longer than dwarven courting, and that's a good 30 odd years!" He said, turning his head and laying it flat against Thranduil's chest. "I wouldn't change this though." He smiled.

"I wouldn't either. In fact..." He began. _I hope you know what I'm doing. __**I do, I do. Just grab his face**__._ He did has the one half of his conscience told him, hooking his thumb under Kili's chin. _Nope. No you don't. I know what you're going to do. __**Shhh...**_ "I may even go as far to say that I love you." He said breathlessly, keeping as casual as possible. **_There, that wasn't so hard, was it?_**_ Shut up._

**_Woah, what?!_**_ Exactly what I thought. Did you plan this far ahead?__** No, did you?**__ No... Sod it let's just see what happens._ Kili looked up at Thranduil, letting the information go in for a moment before letting go of the king and wiggling out of his grip to come face to face with the king. He looked into his eyes for a moment before moving to kiss him.

Thranduil smiled against Kili's kiss, giving into it completely and letting his eyes fall shut. **_Okay, this is good, we can work with this._** He thought to himself as he brought Kili close to him again. _Yes. Yes we can._

Kili placed a hand on Thranduil's cheek and pulled away from him slightly. **_Kili? Really? Are you seriously going to do this? Oh good you are. Even I think this is a bad idea. And that's saying something._**_ Don't listen to him love! You go for it Kee! That's my Kili! __**I hate you. This makes a difference...**_ "I love you too idiot." He smirked, moving to kiss him again.

Thranduil dodged the kiss, blushing a deep shade of red and smiling. "Idiot? Oh, I see how it is." He chuckled. **_Damn it man. You've fallen in love. Again. Good luck getting over this._** He ignored his thoughts and continued to smile, gazing into Kili's glistening eyes. "I suppose I am just a fool."

Kili rolled his eyes and smiled. "We're both fools then. There's no way about it." He said, looking down at Thranduil. "It's only been four days. We're either fools or idiots." He remarked.

"Both, I'd wager. Although a lot has happened to bring us together." Thranduil said thoughtfully. He gazed into his lover's entrancing eyes for what felt like forever.

"True. I think that it was for the best though." He smiled, playing with a strand of hair that had found its way in front of Thranduil's shoulder. "I wouldn't change it."

"I would." He said jokingly. "I could do much better." Thranduil jabbed Kili in the stomach and smiled up at him.

"Oh charming. Perhaps I should just get up and go now then" He smirked, pushing himself up off of Thranduil's chest.

Thranduil hastily bundled the Dwarf up in his arms. "No." He complained, lying back down. "You're warm, and you are mine. You can sod off if you think you're leaving now." He said softly, smirking a little.

Kili laughed as he was pulled back down and wrapped up in his friend? No, you can't kid yourself any more, lover's arms. "Yours, am I? I like the sound of that." He smiled.

"Well good. Get used to it then, because it's the truth." Thranduil mumbled against Kili's hair. "And I won't hesitate to scream it to the world."

**_Ooh. Is he the jealous type?_**_ Shut up, I'm interested in what's going on, not the subtext._ "Good. Because you are most definitely mine." He chuckled.

"Am I?" Thranduil asked excitedly. **_Didn't expect that, did you?_** He held tighter and smiled, clearing his throat. "Sorry, I got a bit too excited there."

"Of course you are. What did you think you were?" He asked, moving his head to look up at him.

"I suppose it just surprised me." He shrugged a little, meeting Kili's gaze.

Kili chuckled and kissed the king's neck before nuzzling his face into his chest. "It shouldn't. It's true." He smiled.

Thranduil smiled and relaxed to the warmth of Kili's lips against his neck when a thought occurred to him. "When are you going to braid my hair again?" He asked curiously, toying with one of the expertly woven plaits in Kili's silken hair.

"When do you want me to?" He asked, looking up at the elf's hair. "It'll be a different braid this time though." he said, picking up the strand of hair he was playing with earlier and tugged it gently.

"Why, what was wrong with the last one?" He smiled, quirking a brow. "It looked nice enough. And whenever you want to. I've got nothing to do for a while."

"There was nothing wrong with the last one; it just isn't the right meaning. The last one, in the broadest sense of the word, meant friend. I think that our current situation calls for something different, don't you?" He asked

Thranduil smirked, meeting the young Dwarf's gaze. "Whatever gave you that idea?" He chuckled, playing with one of the intricate braids on Kili's head. "How broad does the term 'friend' get?"

"Heh.. uh very broad. Well let's say extremely shall we?" He murmured, burying his face into the Elf's chest. **_Ooh, which end of the spectrum of friendship did you use. Don't think I didn't see that clasp you put in his hair with your crest on it._**_ Bugger off!_

Noting Kili's blush, Thranduil decided to press the matter. "What, don't tell me the last one meant lover?!" He smiled with mock surprise, bringing his arm around the Dwarf's waist.

"Not precisely..." he muttered, "That's a whole different braid." **_Ehehehe…_**_ I swear to Mahal..._ "Just more of a... How do I put this? Aulë..."

Thranduil quirked a brow with amusement. "Aulë?" He asked curiously, furthering the Dwarf's embarrassment. "What do you mean by that?"

"What? Who Aulë is?" he asked, trying to go off on a tangent. **_I'll bet you a gold coin it won't work. _**_Shut up._

"No, I know who Aule is." Thranduil knotted his brow with offense. **_Does he take you for an idiot? _**_Apparently yes._ "What I don't know is what he has to do with braids." He laughed softly.

**_Pay up. _**_Sod off__**.**_ "It has nothing to do with braids." he sighed. "It meant intentions to court." He whispered. **_You do understand Bat ears will have heard you._**

Thranduil waited for a moment to think of what to say. "So, you felt this way a couple of days ago" He smiled to himself triumphantly. _Bet you didn't know that._

Kili's head shot up. "Yesterday! This was yesterday!" He exclaimed, scowling at the look on the King's face. "I... Yes. Yes I did. Please go gloat somewhere else." He moaned.

"So it was." Thranduil shrugged as best as he could. "Now why would I gloat? It's nice to know that I wasn't alone in that...development of feelings." He grinned a little, trying to keep Kili's attention through eye contact.

"I guess so." He smiled. "I've never really done this before," he chuckled, playing with another strand of hair. "I mean is it usual to get kidnapped by bandits and then inherit a nephew in the space of two days?" He laughed.

"Not in my life." Thranduil chuckled in return. "The most exciting thing that's happened to me in centuries was when my crown locked with the throne and I couldn't move until the entire council had left the room out of embarrassment." The Elvenking reminisced fondly, smiling as he did.

Kili chuckled as the image of a frantic Thranduil trying to move from the chair sprung to his mind. "I would pay to see that." He laughed, wriggling out of his hold to sit up, straddling the King's chest.

Thranduil's smile broke into a grin at this, and he placed a hand on either of Kili's hips. "Legolas got it for free. I've not seen that boy laugh so hard since he was an Elfling." He laughed softly.

"I'll have to ask him about it next time I see him." He smirked down at him. "When do they leave for Erebor?" Kili asked, smile dropping slightly.

Thranduil's expression dropped in unison with Kili's. "They left this morning." He said with an element of anxiety, gripping to Kili a little tighter. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"He'll be fine, Bilbo will make sure of it." Kili reassured him. "I sent a raven to him and with any luck Thorin will have calmed down by then."

Nodding his head a gently, Thranduil took a moment to ponder. "I suppose I just worry. I know he's a perfectly capable warrior, but...he is my son. I truly do love him." He sighed, leaning his head into the pillow more.

"I know you do. I'd be worried if you didn't." He smiled, running a hand over Thranduil's. "And if the way you're with Falaroy is anything to go by, I don't think they would ask for a better father." He smiled, leaning down to kiss Thranduil, before shooting back up. "Uh-oh."

Thranduil barely had time to appreciate the compliment - or the sensation of Kili's lips against his - before the Dwarf emitted this exclamation. He furrowed his brow and his frosty eyes clouded with perplextion and panic. "What? What is it?!"

"Falaroy! How long have we been gone?! He might have woken up!" He panicked. "That boy can levitate I swear, Aulë knows where he's hanging off. He could be anywhere! Seriously, khîm!"

"Valar, you're right. We need to get there." Thranduil said sternly, gently helping Kili off of him. "Why did I fall in love and acquire a son at the same time?" He sighed, swinging his legs off the bed.

"Because someone loves you." He smiled, kissing his cheek and jumping off of the bed and walked to the door.

The Elvenking looked to the floor and grumpily leaned into the kiss. "It had better be you, or I swear..." He muttered moodily, opening the door and making his way out of it, continuing to mutter down the length of the corridor.

"You swear what, sweetie?" He said patronisingly. "He'll be fine though, with any luck. I mean, what could he do that's worse than he's already done. That and he might not be awake."

"I'm beginning to love that child. He's a menace, but...Kili?" Thranduil stopped in his tracks, turning to face the Dwarf.

Kili walked straight into Thranduil, not noticing he had stopped. He stepped back and looked up at the king. "Yes?"

"I was thinking of..." Thranduil trailed off weakly, bringing his arms around his lover. He cleared his throat to start again. "Of telling the council to stop searching for a foster family. I want to take Falaroy in. Permanently." He studied Kili's face intently, gaging the reaction. "I've been wondering if you'd stay and help me raise him."

Kili smiled up at the king, and nodded. "Of course I will. I wouldn't miss it. Thorin would have to drag me back, kicking and screaming." He smirked, leaning into him. "But only if it's the right decision for you." He said, resting his head against his stomach. "Do you know what I think? I have a feeling that this is what the council wanted all along."

Smiling with content, Thranduil moved a hand to caress Kili's face. "I don't know what they wanted. But this works out nicely." He sighed dreamily. "Thank you, Kili. It means a lot. Although if you're his uncle, that would somehow make us brothers. That's a bit odd, don't you think? He smiled.

"No, I'm on his mother's side. Not weird at all." He smirked, wrapping his arms around Thranduil's waist. "No problem at all though. I plan to stay as long as I can." He smiled.

"That's good to hear." Thranduil said, releasing Kili and turning from him. "But you wouldn't have to raise him. And his Mother's Brother is in love with his Father. Family drama." He chuckled, continuing to make his way to Falaroy's room.

"Hmm. Mother died, the brother took her place. The father falls in love with the brother." He smirked, following behind him, missing the warmth that came from the elf. "If he dares call me mother, all hell will break loose!" He chuckled, catching up with him and walking alongside him.

"That works nicely." Came the reply from Thranduil, as he bent a little to lace his hand into Kili's and stood upright after achieving this. "What do you want him to call you? It's whatever you're comfortable with." He smiled as he walked hand in hand with his companion.

"Anything but mother." He chuckled, squeezing the elf's hand gently. _Thorin's going to try to drag you back at some point. Why are you getting so attached? __**If he trys, we're going out kicking and screaming, got it?**__ Loud and clear._

Upon reaching Falaroy's room, the two sighed with relief as they pushed open the door and were met with the sight of a sleeping Elfling. "We are incredibly lucky, you know that?" Thranduil chuckled, gently taking seat on the lavish bed beside the boy.

"Extremely aware of it, yes." He smiled, walking towards the bed. "More so now than ever." He sat down on the chair, that hadn't been moved since Thranduil's last visit (because of height problems, of which Kili was becoming more aware of at each passing moment) and reclined into it. "Thank Mahal for small miracles."

Thranduil unlaced his shirt halfway - exposing his chest - and lay back onto the bed, crossing one leg over the other and focusing on his silver boots**_. Side note - these are really nice boots. I bet Elrond doesn't have boots like these._** "One of us is going to have to sleep here with him tonight. I will see about getting him a bed in the morning." He sighed wearily, folding his arms behind his head.

Kili smiled and looked out towards the window, just in time to see an impatient Roäc land. "You stay with him tonight, and I'll go see if I can find someone to make him a bed." He said, his smile falling as he saw a note on the bird's leg. _Oh dear. This isn't going to be good._

"Okay" The king shrugged weakly. "I've been enjoying the company anyway." He chuckled, face also falling as he saw the raven land. "Not that bloody bird." He muttered darkly.

"I've... I'll go sort that out for you." He said, getting off of the chair and walking over to the window to open it, allowing Roäc to jump onto his shoulder. "Sleep well." He smiled, walking out of the door and towards the square.

Thranduil briefly considered shouting after Kili to stay, regardless of the bird, but then realised that it would wake Falaroy up. He relaxed fully and closed his eyes, slowly drifting off.

-oOo-

Author's note:

Khîm - Young

Thanks for reading,  
Tanith and Tam


	24. The Floor for Hampers Committee

Kili walked into the palace and sat himself behind the throne again, reading and re-reading the letter. _**King?! Has he gone mad?!**__ Shut up you insufferable consciousness! Do us both a favour and go bother someone else! __**Of all the low down, no good things...**_ Kili sighed as the voices continued to argue and got back up. Checking the coast was clear, he walked back towards his room. Finding it empty, he threw the letter on the bed and put his head in his hands.

Thranduil stormed down the corridor, cloak billowing. His eyes were clouded with anger and his mouth molded into a scowl, brow mimicking it perfectly. _How dare they defy me like that, telling me that I am not fit to rule and raise a child. I will not take that from peasants. I __**will**__ show them who's in charge here. Insufferable, intolerable bunch of idiots, the lot of them._ He swung Kili's door open with a force - causing it to hit the wall - and remained in the door way for quite some time.

_**AND IF YOU WEREN'T SO STUBBORN, PERHAPS THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN TOGETHER QUICKER INSTEAD OF DANCING AROUND EACH OTHER LIKE BALLERINAS!**__ WELL IF YOU DIDN'T GET INVOLVED, PERHAPS THEY WOULD BE COURTING PROPERLY! __**WELL I THINK THAT-**__ I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK, THERE'S A GOOD REASON WHY I WAS HERE FIRST!_ Kili groaned as they continued, ignoring the loud bang from the doorway. "Yes?" he asked finally, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"You do not want to know." Thranduil seethed, recalling the earlier meeting with the council. His gaze followed to the bed, face dropping further - if possible - than before. "Oh, good." He said with and element of sarcasm. "A letter." And with that he snatched it up and began to read it. "From Fili. He wants me to abandon my kingdom. Oh, and Thorin's not happy. That's a surprise." His mood grew progressively worse, until he could no longer bear to read and tore the paper to shreds.

"Oh great, I'm so glad you're being understanding." He groaned, looking up at the King. Perhaps things aren't so brilliant. Funnily enough, I had something to think about, and that letter was crucial. So thanks for that, I'll definitely come again." He said, glaring at him, conscious of the shreds floating down to the floor

The Elven-king glared at Kili in return, fury glazing his eyes. "Something to think about? Like corrupting my foster son, who I am apparently now 'unfit' to raise?!" He spat, voice rising with every syllable. "And I wonder why that is? I thought it was perfectly safe to leave an Elfling unattended near a ten foot fountain!"

"LIKE MY UNCLE'S TRYING TO MAKE ME KING! Look! I am not corrupting anyone! Whatever's going on with him is _not_ my fault! And I'm sorry if he can levitate! I looked away for about a second and then I looked back and there was a splash!" He shouted, his mind not supplying anything useful as both voices had gone to sulk.

Struck by this news, Thranduil stared at Kili in silence, unsure of what to say or do. He knew he should shut up and be understanding, and take the Dwarf in his arms, but still he carried on. "You shouldn't have looked away at all! You knew from the very beginning that he was chaos!" He tore his crown from his head and threw it on the bed. "Damn ridiculous thing I cannot think straight with it on!"

"One bloody moment to be polite to someone! I am so _sorry_ that I decided to be nice to your subjects! I didn't expect him to climb a ten foot wall! If you didn't hide your sweets in the most ridiculous places, he wouldn't have done it!" He scowled, the voice of Bilbo egging him on from the sidelines, seemingly over his sulk.

"WELL YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ANYWAY. ANY THING IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS CHILD. VALAR, SOMETIMES I THINK THAT I COULD JUST SAIL TO VALINOR NOW AND NO-ONE WOULD CARE!" As he yelled at the top of his lungs, Thranduil's gaze traveled along Kili's floor, noting the dirty clothes strewn everywhere. "AND ANOTHER THING! WHERE DID YOU GET THIS HABIT OF THROWING YOUR CLOTHES AROUND THE ROOM? THE FLOOR IS NOT A HAMPER, KILI!" He gestured toward the floor.

"Well I know that _now_, don't I? And if I knew what this valithingy was I would care!" He said, trying to keep calm as Thranduil shouted at him. "I don't have one, otherwise they would be in the hamper. As there isn't one in the room, they've been put into a nice pile on the floor!"

"VALINOR MEANS I'M GONE, KILI. IT'S ELF HEAVEN. YOU CAN DROP THE CHILD IN AS MANY FOUNTAINS AS YOU WANT WHEN I'M THERE!" Thranduil continued to yell at the Dwarf-Prince, who was handling this all very brilliantly. Then the Elf picked his voice up again. "AND SEE THAT NEGLECTED, WICCA BOX IN THE CORNER?! THAT, IS A HAMPER. USE IT! I AM DAMNED IF THAT'S A NEAT PILE!" He pointed furiously at the mound of shirts that were lazily heaped on the floor tiles. "AND ANOTHER THING, I AM NOT GOING TO ABANDON MY KINGDOM BECAUSE OF YOUR PIGHEADED UNCLE. I AM NOT EVEN REMOTELY AFRAID OF HIM, KILI DURIN. I WILL DEFEND YOU WITH MY LIFE IF I HAVE TO!"

"If you went I'd hate myself for letting you go!" He managed to choke out, standing up off of the chair. "FINE. I get it! I will use it! And another thing! I wasn't going to ask you to! He can go to Mordor if he thinks I'm taking the throne. My brother can have it and Thorin can get over the peasant girl drama. Now stop being a git and go blame someone else for your bad day!"

Thranduil was suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that he was in the wrong, that Kili was going through a lot more than he was. "I -" He had a thousand things to say, but no way to word any of them. The rage that had built up inside him had caused him to punch the door with strength that he hadn't unleashed in many years, sending his fist straight through the oak and bleeding from the splinters as he retracted it. Without acknowledging the pain, or the trickle of blood, he let his glare waver slightly before storming off down the hall to his own chambers.

Kili watched in shock as the Elf punched straight through the wood and stormed off down the Corridor. "ELVES!" He fumed, storming out of the room and towards the training grounds. "If I don't hit something soon, I'm going to do something I regret." He muttered, dodging all the elves that bothered to get into his way.

Continuing to fume down the corridor, Thranduil raised his fist again. _**Put it down, pe-channas. There's nothing to hit.**__ You're the damn idiot, encouraging me to fall in love with the Dwarf. __**Yes, and you're much happier for it. Now go to your room and calm yourself down. You're being selfish and ridiculous. **__You're being selfish and ridiculous, so there! _Silence_. I really do have problems._ He internally battled himself as he found himself in front of his own door, which he gently pushed open to reveal a sleeping Falaroy. _Oh, at least he's back._ His face softened as he took a seat on the chair next to the bed.

-oOo-  
Author's note:

Pe-channas - Idiot

Enjoy,  
Tanith and Tam


	25. Bloody Bards

Kili stood at the archery range, shooting arrow after arrow at the butt. He put his bow down to collect the arrows and chucked them into a quiver. He walked back over to the training ground and nodded in recognition towards an elf that stood watching him, picked up his bow, and began to shoot again.

* * *

Thranduil felt bad. This was most unwelcome, this uneasy feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Uneasy and alien. Thranduil didn't know why he felt so horrible. He had taken prisoners, slain opposers, hunted animals without the blink of an eye. He had never felt _guilt. **Go and talk to him.** No. Odds are he hates me. I'll leave him to himself. **Well do something, the child's not going to wake up. Just find someone to keep an eye on him.**_ After much light, heartfelt debating with himself, he decided to do just that. On his way down the corridor, he came across a trusted friend and loyal subject, who agreed to 'guard the child with his life.' 'Good enough.' Thranduil had muttered to himself. 'Just keep him away from sweets.' And with that he began to make his way to an old patch of forest not far from the training grounds.

* * *

Kili shot arrow after arrow, not caring about where he hit on the target, more interesting in taking out his anger. He walked over to the archery butt and extracted the arrows from the hay, before walking back down to the line. "Is there any reason why you're so intent on watching me?" He asked the onlooker as he put his arrows in the quiver.

"I'm making notes," The elf grinned, leaning forward on the wall, "Seeing the differences in style from Elves to Dwarves. You seem to be quite good, Master...?"

"Kili." He said, nocking an arrow and shooting it in quick succession.

Playing with the dying embers of a small fire that he had just lit in the clearing, Thranduil sat lazily on a log. He stopped in his work as his Elf ears picked up on some dialogue to the far left of him. It was between two people, an Elf and - Kili? He strained to hear more and picked up on the Elf's words. 'You seem to be quite good, master...?" "Oh, I see, fraternizing with other Elves now, are we? 'You seem to be quite good.'" He muttered in a mocking tone. He hadn't realized yet that the feeling taking over his mind was jealousy.

Kili raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as the onlooker 'took notes', deciding that archery was more important.

"Kili.. I'll have to remember that." The elf smiled. "So then Kili, what are you doing in mirkwood of all places?" He asked, taking in the view of the smaller being. He could pass as an elfling, if it were not for the ears, and the way he held himself seemed regal in some way.

"That's a long story." He sighed, putting his bow down. **_Tell him to sod off, you're too busy trying to sulk. _**_I agree. This Elf isn't helping right now._

"We have time."

* * *

Thranduil's mood grew progressively worse as he continued to listen in on the conversation. "Oh, we have _time_, do we? I have time to drive a knife into your skull. And I suppose Kili's just going to cry on your shoulder now." He muttered darkly, poking the fire more furiously. He used his powers to relight it and began again. "I have a perfectly good shoulder!" He yelled a little too loud, shutting his mouth with surprise straight after. "I see, it's not even 'master Kili' anymore. Why don't you just sweep him off his feet now?" He continued, after deciding that no-one had heard him.

* * *

Kili looked around after hearing a cry, which sounded suspiciously like Thranduil. "Did you hear that?" He asked, looking towards the trees.

"Hear what? And anyway, you were going to tell me about why you're here." The elf smiled, leaning on one hand.

"Nothing."_ Great, now your imagining things. **Not just things though, Thranduil.** Not now, Idiot._ "I was invited by your King, who I met whilst traveling through the forest on my way back to Erebor." He said shortly. "I accepted, and here I am."

"Yeah, you tell him Ki'. Don't give into his charming ways." Thranduil continued, now with a proud smile. _**Stop. You're being irrational. The Elf probably just wants to make conversation.** How do I know that? He may have a thing for Dwarves. He's not the first Elf to do that now, is he?_

"That's the short version I'm guessing." The elf smirked. "I'd love to hear the long one some time." He said, walking around the wall and towards Kili, who was picking up the arrows that had fallen short of the target.

"Perhaps some time. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." He said, turning to look at the elf, who had advanced towards him. _Something doesn't seem right here..._

"How terribly rude of me! Daeron, at your service." He exclaimed, bowing flamboyantly to the Dwarf. "Traveling minstrel. I live up to my name." He chuckled.

"DAERON?!" Thranduil wasted no effort in holding back his voice or his rage this time. "I don't have to sit here and listen to this." He said finally, moving from his log and making his way toward the training court. **_Keep your top on, just stay calm and make him realize that Kili is...with...you._**_ Yeah, no promises._ He scoffed internally as he reached the two, penetrating gaze in full swing.

"A pleasure." Kili smiled politely, trying to back away without the elf realising. "No There it is again. That's definitely someone shouting... Ah." _**Well that explains a lot.**_ "Hello Thranduil, calmed down enough now?" He said bitterly, folding his arms as the king neared them.

"My king," Daeron smiled, bowing towards Thranduil. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Thranduil tried his hardest to control himself, icy eyes growing fiercer with his mood. He decided to address Kili first. "Considerably." He nodded politely, before turning to Daeron. **_What are you doing, instilling fear with your eyes? _**_Apparently so.** Well it's creepy. **Then it's effective._ "And Daeron." The king began calmly, almost smiling. "You owe the pleasure to your flirting with my companion." He clasped his graceful hands behind his back.

"Flirting? _Me?_" Daeron asked, placing an offended hand to his chest.

"Thranduil, calm." Kili said sternly, stepping back away from the pair. _Oh god..** I know...**_

"Is there a law against flirting?" Daeron smiled.

"I am perfectly calm."Thranduil said to Kili with a smile. "Not as such, but I will not hesitate to show you the consequences of flirting with your King's lover." He managed politely, through gritted teeth.

"Lover?!" Daeron exclaimed, jumping away from Kili and The king. "I didn't know! I'm so sorry, I thought he was fair game!"

"_FAIR GAME?!_" Kili screeched. _If Thranduil doesn't kill him, I will. **Go Kili, Go Kili!**_

"Marvelous. Be on your way, if you will." Thranduil demanded before noticing the pout. "LEAVE." He yelled, snapping his fingers in front of Daeron's face and growing angrier when the Elf lingered. "If you don't leave, you _will_ suffer the consequences."

_**Crush him, That's my Thrandy! **Go Thrandy! Kill him!  
_

"I'm going! Calm yourself!" Daeron exclaimed, taking one last look at Kili and sauntering off in the opposite direction.

"Can I kill him now or later?" Kili asked sourly, watching the minstrel go. "I don't think that'll be the last we see of him."

"If it's not the last we see of him, _I'll_ kill him." Thranduil smiled cheerfully, face falling as he remembered that he and Kili had had a falling out. "I - uh...I apologise for earlier. I was out of order. I would do anything for you." He straightened himself out and looked to the ground ashamedly.

"You'll have to beat me to him. Fair game. Humph." Kili frowned, looking up at Thrandy. "It's okay, Just don't take it out on me next time, yeah?" He smiled. Grabbing hold of Thranduil's hand, he reached up and pulled the King's chin gently up to look at him. "I forgive you, alright?"

"Okay." Thranduil said gently. He leant against the wall sighed. "You should definitely take Thorin up on his offer, though. You could make some positive changes to the Kingdom. And I would visit you."

**_Kili, he has a point. You could change everything for the better._**_He wouldn't be with Thranduil then._**_ You make a valid argument._** "I... I don't know. Besides, I doubt I'll get it passed down to me though. He thinks I'm, and I quote, 'Buggering' you." He said meekly, letting his arms drop down to his sides in defeat.

"It's okay." Thranduil soothed. Slumping to the floor and bringing Kili into his arms, so he could rest his head on his warm stomach. "I know whichever decision you make will be the best one. And I will stay by your side in it. And you don't have to put your clothes in the hamper." He chuckled softly.

Kili wrapped his arms around Thranduil's neck and snaked his hands down his back. "I don't know, I could make some pretty big mess ups as a king." He smiled. "And Thank you. I think I will put them in the hamper though, you ranting at me for a good five minutes really left an impression." He laughed, pulling him up off of the floor. "Now come on. We have things to do."

Thranduil quirked his brow. "I have nothing to do. I don't even have Falaroy anymore." He sighed mournfully as Kili helped him up.

Kili rolled his eyes as he lent against the wall. "When does this council next convene? I have a few things I'd like to say to them.."

"I don't know." Thranduil hugged his arms and hung his head, eyes clouding with sadness. "I don't want them to take him, Kili. Not only do I already love him, but without him I have nothing to distract me from worrying about Legolas."

"I won't let them. You need him in your life, and they can't take that away from you. Besides, are you not king?" He said, wrapping an arm around Thranduil in comfort.

"I am. I'm sure I can do something. I just - don't know." Thranduil sighed again as he caressed Kili's hand. "Besides, would it make much difference if we were 'buggering' each other?" He laughed, recalling the remark.

"I think that you can, you have power over them." He smiled. "And funnily enough, I wouldn't particularly mind buggering you or uh you me I guess." He stuttered, moving closer to Thranduil.

Thranduil smiled at this and grew heated. **You didn't even think this far ahead, did you? You didn't consider this.** "Well, we'll see where it leads." He stuttered in return with a wide grin.

Kili chuckled. "On both parts I guess." _**'We'll see where it leads.' That was one of the most beautiful sentences I've ever heard. **Shh, I'm busy. **Doing what exactly? **Working my way through this information._

"Yes. Although if I do get full custody of Falaroy, I'll have to find a gentle way to break it to him that he can't come camping." He laughed, stroking Kili's hair. "We don't really want him around if..." Thranduil trailed off as he searched for the right words.

Feeling his ears turn red, Kili smirked at the suggestion. "We'll take him out another time, travel to Erid Luin or something." He smiled, leaning into Thranduil's touch. "Or we could just put it off until we have a bed..." _**Classy. Boring. Where's your sense of adventure?** If I wasn't just a tangible thought, I would be flipping you off right now._

"Wait, you...you'd want to..." Thranduil jerked his head gently as a gesture as Kili looked up at him and he grew red in the face. "To...uh..."

"Is that not what buggering means?" He smirked, watching the King turn some interesting shades of pink. "Really Thrandy, I thought you had a good vocabulary."

"I know, I just...I'd never thought..." Thranduil grew more flustered as time went by, rubbing his face with a sweaty hand. "You don't get to call me that!"

"Never thought?" he prompted, smirking at how flustered he was making Thranduil in such a small space of time. He filed away the knowledge for later and looked up with a smirk. "What _do_ I get to call you then?"

Moving away from Kili, Thranduil turned and tried to make his blush calm down, letting the cool air hit his face. "I hadn't really envisioned us...I mean - I had - but...and whatever suits you...I hadn't really thought of that either."

Kili walked a bit faster, before running and climbing up a tree to hang upside-down in front of Thranduil so he was at head height. "I don't mind," He smiled. "Whatever happens works for me, as long as it's alright with you. Plus, I think I have a good claim on calling you Thrandy."

Thranduil gazed at Kili coolly, heart soaring at the closeness between the two. He cracked a dreamy smile as he lowered his eyes to Kili's hypnotic brown ones. "You're going to get head rush if you stay there much longer, Prince Bat." He chuckled, stroking the Dwarf's stubble gently.

"It will be worth it." He smiled, looking into Thranduil's blue eyes, realising just how frosty they could get if he was angered but how gentle they were when he was happy. _**So this is love, hmmm hm hm hmmm, so this is lovveee... **Oh good, now you sing. I am surrounded by idiots._ "Anyway. I seem to have a problem."

The King smiled bashfully at this, growing a little heated again. He placed a gentle kiss on the Dwarf's soft lips and pulled away a little. "Did that solve it?" He asked silkily, punctuating every word with a flick of his tongue as his mouth remained slightly parted.

"As wonderful as that always is, and I am not complaining, I have now got two, going on three problems." He sighed, watching the Elf's mouth as he spoke. _Interesting angle, too bad you don't see it more often._

"Oh, that caused more problems?" Thranduil smirked slightly, quirking an elegant brow. "I dread to think what's going on in your head. Talk to me."

_This wasn't your best idea, was it Kili?_ "Well, the first one was when I realised I couldn't get down." he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Then, I realised that I was rather high up and I am afraid of heights. And last but not least," He said nonchalantly, "I'm falling."

"Well, I can kill three birds with one stone." Thranduil chuckled, seizing Kili's waist and turning him so he sat on his shoulders. With that he eased himself to the floor so Kili could safely get off. "There." He smiled broadly, scrunching up his nose and eyes happily and crossing his legs.

"Thanks, Thrandy." he smiled, climbing down from his shoulders and placing a kiss on the top of his head in thanks. He walked around Thranduil to see a grin on the elf's face. "You seem pleased with yourself." He smiled, dropping himself into the Elf's lap.

"I did well?" He asked hopefully, burying his face in Kili's hair. "And I'm sure you can come up with something more creative to call me than that."

"You did," Kili smiled. "And I'm sure I could, I just haven't thought about it yet. Although, I rather like Thrandy. It's cute." He smirked. "If you don't like it though sweetie, I think that I could think about it."

"I don't. It's patronising. I don't mind it so much when Falaroy does it." Thranduil groaned, voice muffled slightly by Kili's loose ringlets. He brought his arms around the Dwarf tightly.

"Whatever you say, love." Kili laughed, kissing the elf's collarbone. "I will get back to you when I have something sutible." _I do believe this is your area dear. **Why thank you honey, I do believe it is. **I think that you're a bad influence on me, sugar._

Thranduil smiled with content, taking in Kili's scent with appreciation. He smelled of churned earth, the smell you get in the woods when it rains. It was comforting. "Thank you. Side note, do I smell of anything?" He asked curiously.

_Thranduil, asking the important questions since the Years of the Trees._ Kili thought, rolling his eyes. "Yes. Do you want me to go into it?" He asked, playing with a strand of hair. _Think I need to braid this again..._

"Oh, is it bad?" He asked, wincing slightly and then watching Kili play with his flaxen white hair. "You may need to rebraid it soon." He smiled as if reading Kili's mind.

"No, it's just hard to explain. It's like the trees and the berries. Sweet, but not sickly. I like it." He smiled, getting up from his lap. "We should head back."

"Well that's good then. And yes, I'm getting cold." Thranduil rubbed his arm a little as he eased himself up and began to walk._** Ask him.**_ "I have a friend taking care of Falaroy for the night. Would you like to..." He began, trailing off as the other side of him told him it was a bad idea.

**Yes! Wooohooo! Go for it! **_Are you sure? I mean,_ _5 days_**_._ Trust me. **_I don't._ "Yes." _Kili! What? No! Don't listen to that idiot! I was here first! **I'm better.** You're an arse. You listen to him more than you do me? I may as well give up now._

Thranduil bit his lip anxiously, waiting a good minute or so. **Oh, just ask him!** "Would you want to share a bed for the night?" He asked finally, continuing to bite his lip with an element of nervousness and averting Kili's gaze.

"Yes." He smiled, taking hold of the Elf's hand. "If you would have me." _ Do_ _not take this where I think you are, otherwise I will evict you. I mean it this time._

Smiling boldly, Thranduil squeezed Kili's hand affectionately. "Good. Though I should warn you that I do not sleep with clothes on. It pains me. So if that's going to be a problem..." He trailed off slyly, smiling at the young Dwarf.

"None at all." He smiled, walking back towards the square. "I sleep however I want, so I shouldn't be that much of a problem."

"No problem at all. I can see you being a snorer." Thranduil chuckled, accompanying Kili in his walk. "It must be because you're a Dwarf.

"I do not snore!" Kili sulked, crossing his arms and pouting. "Fili snores, and so does Thorin although he won't admit it. I missed out on that wonderful gene."

"Ah, a peaceful sleeper...we'll test that tonight." He winked discreetly. "I'm glad we're doing this." He chuckled, adopting that 'pleased with himself smile' again

"I'm telling you now, I have never snored in my life." He said stubbornly. "I am too. Well done. Is that what my face looks like when I'm pleased? All manic and smirk-y?"

Thranduil furrowed his brow. "I don't know." He said after a while. "I'm just happy that I have you, I suppose." He shrugged as they drew close to his chambers.

"And I you," he murmured. Kili opened the door to his room and walked over to the pile of clothes which adorned the floor. He picked them up and threw them in the hamper at the other end of the room and turned back to Thranduil. "Better?"

"Immensely." Thranduil smiled, peeling off his own shirt. "Let's do this then." He chuckled, kicking off his boots and wriggling out of his trousers. He slipped under the covers in full nudity, careful to spare Kili of all of the details.

Kili rolled his eyes and took his hoes off, chucking the pieces off fabric into the hamper. He removed everything bar his shirt and moved to the bed. He slipped under the covers and threw his shirt off, making an accurate shot into the Hamper. Kili lay down next to Thranduil and turned to face him.

"Could have done it that way." Thranduil chuckled softly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He gazed into Kili's eyes adoringly and subconsciously wrapped an arn around him.

"It would have been easier." Kili agreed, relaxing into his hold.**_ Then you wouldn't have had the sight of Thranduil's- _**_Too much information, thank you. **You don't know what I would have said!**_ _Funnily enough I do mister 'I have my head so far in the gutters, it's currently swimming in the sewers.'_

"Definitely." He said in agreement, holding a little tighter. A sudden feeling of excitement washed over him and he was lost for words. "It's...warm." Was all he managed, mentally flagellating himself.

Kili quirked an eyebrow as he was pulled closer. "What is?" He asked, snaking an arm around Thranduil's waist, ignoring the arguing streams of thought. _And if you weren't so stuck up your own arse, then maybe things would have been easier! **Well excuuussssee me **_**princess**_**, but exactly how long did it take you to kiss him?**_

Thranduil smiled and closed his eyes. "It's warm under here." _**Well done, Sir Obvious.** Well, I am a Greenleaf. Look at Legolas, for Eru's sake._ He reveled in the feeling of Kili's arm around his waist and sighed with content.

"You're getting like Legolas again," he chuckled, "It's not the best thing you can do ever, is it?" Kili took in the view of the King, looking like he was without any worries. _I kissed him in the right amount of time, you meddling so and so. **If that was the right amount of time, Thorin's an orc.**_

"It's a blissful way to live." Thranduil remarked, continuing to smile. "And he's a lot brighter than he looks, you know."

"I know that," the 'he's beaten me enough times for me to notice' went unsaid. "I don't doubt that it is either." He smiled, closing his eyes. The voices had _finally_ shut up, leaving his head clear.

Thranduil's eyes darted open and his face fell. "They should be there, by now. At Erebor." He said solemnly, unable to conceal his worry. "I've not heard from them."

"They'll be fine. Bilbo will send a raven by morning, all will be alright." He said comfortingly. "They will be safe."

Falling into a trance for a moment, Thranduil stared ahead."Surprisingly, that doesn't stop me worrying." He sighed. "I wouldn't put it past your uncle to do something rash."

"My _uncle_ should learn how to control his temper." Kili groaned, burying his head into the pillow. "You're supposed to worry about him, he's your son."

"I don't dispute that for a second." He stated coldly. "He needs to rethink his whole attitude, he's a total arse." Thranduil stroked Kili's hair affectionately. "I thank the gods you're nothing like him."

"You think I haven't noticed?" he said sourly, voice slightly muffled by the pillow. "And I can be, I just know not to lash out at someone who doesn't deserve it." He said, thinking back to earlier when he went to the training grounds instead of following after Thranduil down the corridor after their argument.

"Like...me." Thranduil sighed ashamedly._** Yeah. Feel terrible.** I do already. Leave me alone._ "Perhaps I could see eye to eye with him after all." He chuckled ironically.

"No, it was partly my fault. And besides, everyone needs someone to rant to now and again, otherwise you get like Thorin was after Erebor. Thank god Bilbo came along..." He said. _Mahal knows what would of happened if he didn't..._

Thranduil furrowed his brow and looked at Kili with perplextion. "In what way was that even remotely your fault?" He demanded, attempting to braid Kili's hair again.

"I took my eye off him and he proceeded to levitate." He groaned into the pillow, keeping still for Thranduil to try and braid his hair.

"No. That was no fault of yours. I stormed into your room, destroyed some vital information and then lashed out at you because of the council." Thranduil started as basic as he could, seperating a clump of silken brown hair into three._ Or was it four? **Don't ask me, I'm already lost. I knew where I stood when it was together.**_ He crossed one bit over another, deciding to wing it. He did the same again, and again. "Ah! AH! look!" He squealed, much too feminine for his own good.

"Whatever you say dear." he muttered. Hearing Thranduil's exclamation, Kili chuckled to himself raising his head off of the pillow to look at Thranduil. "You alright there?" he laughed, seeing the triumphant look on his face.

"I did a thing!" He said excitedly, searching for a way for Kili to see it. "And it was easier than I thought." His smile broadened as he looked at it again. "Don't move too much, it'll fall out."

"Here." Kili said, undoing a clasp from his hair and handing it to Thranduil. "Attach that to the end and it won't fall out then." He smiled, keeping his head as still as possible.

"But I want you to see it!" Thranduil pouted, completing the braid with an infinite grin and then using the clasp to keep it in place. He lay on his side, using one elbow to support himself and both hands to work on another braid proudly.

Kili brought the clasp around to the front of his head, taking in the view of the loose plait that had been braided into his hair. "I love it, Thank you." He smiled, carefully pushing it behind his ear. "I still need to do yours."

In truth, Thranduil's plait was very crudely done, but he was proud of it. He beamed his prize-winning smile at Kili with pride. "Good. And I know. I couldn't replicate that." He chuckled, shifting slightly and causing the blanket to pool around his hips. _Oops._ he lifted them up again and laughed softly.

Kili rolled his eyes and tapped Thranduil's forehead with his own gently before kissing him chastely. He pulled away and pushed Thranduil up into a sitting position. Grabbing a few of the clasps he had removed from his hair a few nights ago, he started to braid The king's hair again.

Thranduil crossed his legs and sat patiently as Kili worked away at his mounds of hair. "You should stop rolling your eyes. They'll get stuck in your head." He chuckled, remembering something his mother told him when he was sassing her as a child.

"I'd like to see that happen." He chuckled, adding clasps to keep bits from his face and added them to the plait that would gather all of it together. _Rather Elvish if I do say so myself. It rather works well with the dwarfen clasps. **Those clasps have Kili's crest on too. Jelousy must run deep.** Shh. I'm enjoying this._

"You won't be able to. Your eyes will be stuck in your head." Thranduil laughed at his joke and closed his eyes. Feeling that there was nothing left to be said, he folded his arms and remained silent.

Kili chuckled and added the last clasp at the bottom of Thranduil's hair where the plait ended. "There you go." He smiled, moving to lie down beside the elf. "That should stay in now. Try not to get flour in it this time."

"Oh, you're hilarious." Thranduil said flatly, recalling his little temper tantrum a couple of days ago. He leant against the headboard and smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem." He chuckled, resting his head on Thranduil's lap, on top of the blankets. "I'm rather proud of it. Took me a couple of months to learn that one. Seems it payed off."

"What does it mean again?" Thranduil asked with a smile, placing both hands gently on Kili's face, stroking his lip with his thumb softly.

"Beloved." He smiled, looking up at Thranduil, relaxing into his grip. "Beloved or Loved. Take your pick."

"I'll take both. It's nice to be loved." He chuckled softly, smiling slightly at the way Kili trusted him.

"Well it should. It _is_ true." He smirked, closing his eyes. "And taking both... That's a good plan." He remarked,

Thranduil nodded gently and continued to caress Kili's face, running his hand over his stubble again. "Take what you can out of life." He said softly. "Hold on to what you love, you won't have it for long." He wasn't sure why he had decided to impart these words of wisdom, but it had happened.

"Oh, I intend to." Kili smirked and opened his eyes.

-oOo-

Author's note:  
Hey people!  
We'd like to say thank you to all the people who have reviewed over the chapters, It really means a lot. If you're in Cardiff, UK for the Comic and Film convention this coming weekend, I'm there both days (Don't know if Tam is yet though..) cosplaying the Wayward Vagabond from Homestuck, I'd love to meet you if you're there!

**Russian Moose:** Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner and thank you for sticking with us! I must admit that made me laugh when tam wrote it, I love how he seems to have a thing against Elrond too.  
**  
Annataur9:** Thank you for reading! Though I usually update once a week (if I remember... I'm such a bad human being) and I might actually set a day as we get back into the school term.. I'm thinking a wednesday after about 4 gmt, but please don't hold me to that yet!  
**  
TolkienGeek:** I'm steadily learning Khuzdul as I work through these chapters as I think Tam is learning Elvish as we can both write sentences with slight help from dictionaries, baffling each other.  
I use the dictionary found here: doc/98387422/Khuzdul-Dictionary-E-K-v01-JUN12  
My insults from here: .  
The rules of the language are found here: .  
Other than that I've been generally teaching myself with the wonderful help of google. If you need any more resources, message me on here, tumblr ( .com) or twitter ( whosherlockian) And I can get back to you generally within hours depending how close to a computer I am.

As always,  
Thank you for reading.  
Tanith and Tam


	26. Sealing the Deal

Hey people. I'm sorry for leaving you guys for so long, Real life came around and kicked Tam and I on the arse in the way of sixth form. Well.. It definitely kicked me, I assume it kicked Tam too.  
We have a head of sixth form that either looks like a potato, Medusa or Dolores Umbridge in green.  
That said, I shall upload two tonight, mainly as this is just a chapter of smut which holds no consequence to the story at all, so if you wish to skip it, it's up to you.  
_  
_Still here? Then read on...

* * *

"Oh, I intend to." Kili smirked and opened his eyes. without warning, he sat up and shifted onto Thranduil's lap, kissing him deeply. Wrapping his arms around his neck, He ran his tongue along the elf's bottom lip, requesting entrance.

Out of shock, it took Thranduil a short while to even respond to the kiss, and another to part his lips fully to allow Kili to explore his mouth. **_Woooo!_** His heart pumped hard in his chest, almost audibly. _Worst thing that can happen now? Falaroy walks in.** Don't say that! Let the man have a carefree moment!**_

Kili ran his tongue along the roof of Thranduil's mouth and then over his teeth, as if counting them. He wrapped his legs around the king's body, bringing them closer together. _**Go Kili, Go Kili!** This is your influence and... I, uh, approve. **Can you repeat that? I want to commit that to memory.** I hate you._

Thranduil wrapped his arms completely around Kili, eliminating any remaining distance between them. Daringly, he darted his tongue into the other's mouth, testing the waters before throwing himself into it completely. _Yes, we can be at rest now, right? **No, we still have our odds, but we'll sort them out later.**_

Kili brought his tongue back into his mouth, smiling into the kiss. Kili gripped on harder to the Elf's neck and moaned into the kiss.

_Ooh, he moaned. This just got serious. **Still got it in ya, old man.**_ Thranduil chuckled softly against Kili's lips, deepening the kiss considerably and caressing his naked back, savouring the feeling of his skin.

Kili tightened his legs and kissed the elf harder, fighting his tongue for dominance. _How far is this going to go? **As far as it does. Now shut up, this is getting interesting.**_ Reluctantly, he gave up and let Thranduil take control.

Thranduil moved his legs from underneath him, grunting as he pushed Kili down onto the bed and pinned him down gently with his own body. He took one of the Dwarf's wrists in each hand, holding them to the bed and leaving fluttering kisses up and down his neck.

Kili moaned under the flurry of kisses, writhing under the attention. He bucked his hips up and fisted the sheets, un-wrapping his legs from around the king's waist.

Laughing silkily, Thranduil continued the kisses, showering Kili's face and neck. "Fancy making a bet? He whispered in his ear, taking both wrists in one hand and letting his other wander the Dwarf's toned chest.

"Uh.." _Words Kili, words is what makes a sentence._ "Depends what it is." He said, vaguely proud of himself for making a sentence. "And... and what the stakes are." He stuttered.

"Well." Thranduil began, just about keeping his composure. **Don't lose it yet, you have the upper-hand here.** "I bet you that you can't make me moan." He said breathlessly, nibbling Kili's earlobe gently. "No stakes. I was counting on your competitive nature."

"With... With or without the use of.. oh.. my hands?" He moaned, twisting his hands in Thranduil's grip. "I.. I can do that. I accept." He said breathlessly.

"With. I'll give you an advantage..." Thranduil trailed off, finding Kili's lips with his and kissing him deeply. He released his wrists slowly and used his elbows to support himself.**_ This...this is good._**

Kili pulled away from the Elf's lips to look up at him. "Hands are an advantage?" he muttered, hooking a leg over Thranduil's side, flipping them over. "That's better." he murmured into Thranduil's ear before kissing down his jaw and neck, only stopping above his collarbone to bite and suck at the area to mark him. "Mine." he said quietly and started to kiss down Thranduil's chest.

Gasping with shock at the sudden movement and overwhelming sensation of Kili's lips and teeth on his skin, Thranduil had to bite his lip to keep from losing his bet already. "All yours." He whispered in return, submitting entirely.

Kili continued to kiss down Thranduil's chest, biting at random places and licked at the elf's nipples. He moved down Thranduil's body, realising just how big the height difference was between them, he dipped his tongue into the elf's naval. **_He _is_ rather tall.. _**_Well done, that was definitely not obvious, thanks for pointing that out Legolas._

Thranduil laced his hands into Kili's thick hair, ruining his loosely woven braid and reveling in the touch of the Dwarf's lips against him. He chuckled at the tickling feeling that Kili's tongue brought him. "Not by there." He laughed. "I have a ticklish stomach."

Kili rolled his eyes and moved down a bit further to face Thranduil's cock. Kili smirked and licked slowly from his tip to the base before placing his mouth around the top of the elf's cock, and played with the foreskin. "Prepare to lose." He chuckled, before deep-throating him, placing a hand at the base and moved the other to rest on Thranduil's hip.

"Aaah, ah aaaaaah not moaning not moaning not moaning!" Thranduil gasped, attempting desperately not to give into the aching, yearning feeling between his loins that soon began to spread.

_Not if I can help it._ Kili narrowed his eyes and hummed around him, pulling back off of him and swirled his tongue around the head, sucking gently and started to stroke the rest of his cock.

"Ah...ah..." Thranduil couldn't contain himself any longer. He let out a soft moan, praying to Eru that Kili hadn't heard it. He closed his eyes and bit his lip deeply. _So long...so..._ His mind clouded over with pleasure and he chewed on his lip almost too hard. He began to thrust his hips in time with Kili.

Kili pulled away from Thranduil to smirk up at him. "I do believe I've won." he chuckled before he took Thranduil in his mouth again, licking the pre-come from the slit and swirling his tongue around the head before relaxing his throat and taking him to the hilt.

Thranduil couldn't acknowledge Kili, he was lost in the wonderful, burning sensations that his lover was bringing him. A string of moans escaped him, getting louder each time. Soon he could bear it no longer, and he took Kili's hair to urge him to move faster.

Kili pulled off of him, letting only the tip rest in his mouth teasingly. He moved his hand off of Thranduil's cock and placed it on his hip, relaxing his throat and waited, leaving an open invitation for Thranduil to do what he wanted with him.

Thranduil took this opportunity to give into his instincts, throwing Kili roughly onto the bed and towering over him. He parted the Dwarf's legs and smirked down at him, leaning down and placing himself between his thighs. Gazing into Kili's eyes, he waited for some kind of response.

Kili found himself on his back, looking up at the ceiling. Slightly surprised and a little bit dazed, he looked up at the King's smirk. Snapping out of his daze when Thranduil settled in between his legs. Kili spread his legs open further, pulling himself up onto his elbows to watch what the king was doing. "Stop teasing!" he breathed.

Thranduil's face dropped and he grew flustered. "I was going to...I - I'm - what do you want me to do?" He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

Kili rolled his eyes, "Aulë, anything, surprise me!" he whimpered, falling back onto the bed.

Thranduil took a moment to consider the best cause of action, weighing up the pros and cons of each one before snapping himself out of it. _No. No. No. No. Thranduil, you will not - **Shhh...**_ He settled between Kili's legs again, smirk returning as he showered him in more kisses. He grasped at the Dwarf's hips and thrust gently into them, his length teasing Kili's entrance.

Kili writhed on the bed, gripping the sheets in his fists. He bucked his hips into the air, trying to get any sort of friction he could find. "Thranduil.. Please.." he moaned, lifting his head from the pillow to look at him.

"Shhh..." Thranduil soothed, reaching down to bring Kili into a kiss. He pushed into him then, slowly, careful not to hurt him. He already could do nothing to suppress a moan.

Kili relaxed as he was slowly impaled by Thranduil, gradually getting used to the feeling of being entered. He moaned into the kiss and wrapped an arm around Thranduil's neck, holding him in place.

Thranduil began to quicken his pace, reveling in the glorious sensation of Kili wrapped around his member. He bit and sucked on his neck, leaving a deeper mark than Kili had before growling "Mine." Into his ear and slamming himself into the Dwarf, unable to hold back any longer.

Kili moaned as the elf marked him, and bucked his hips violently when he growled into his ear. "Yours, all yours, no one else's." He breathed. He wrapped his legs back around Thranduil's waist, lifting himself up slightly so he had better access to him. "Fuck! Oh Aulë, please." Kili babbled, only briefly stopping the verbal diarrhoea when his prostate was hit.

"Oh, Aulë has nothing to do with it." Thranduil chuckled, continuing at the same force. He let out a brief exclamation of his own, speeding up and pulling Kili into another kiss.

Kili moaned into the kiss, letting Thranduil take control of it. He broke away slightly to look up at Thranduil. "Oh god, I'm close." He cried, diving back into the kiss with renewed vigour. He felt Thranduil slam into him repeatedly, changing his angle to hit his Prostate, turning Kili into a squirming mess.

Thranduil took Kili's length in his hand, stroking him to completion as he continued to slam into him. He let out his own muffled cry as he felt Kili's muscles tighten around him, causing him to release himself.

Kili cried as he came over his abdominals and Thranduil's hand and fell back limp onto the bed, feeling completely over-sensitive as Thranduil continued to pound into him. He whimpered as he was filled and pulled the elf back down into a lazy kiss.

Obliging, Thranduil sighed into the kiss and rolled off of Kili, panting. "Huh." Was all he could managed as a shaking, sweaty heap of an Elf.

Kili smiled and using one of Thranduil's arms for a pillow, Kili curled up beside him, trying to ignore the odd sensation of liquid dribbling out of his passage.

Thranduil wrapped both arms around Kili and planted a kiss on his forehead. "I'm going to need a bath." He chuckled, trying to ignore the whiff he was getting from his armpits.

Kili rolled his eyes and looked up at the elf king. "In the morning. You're warm and comfortable, don't move." He murmured, nuzzling his face into the elf's chest.

Sighing, Thranduil closed his eyes and caressed Kili's arm. "Fine. Am I allowed to move at all?" He asked curiously, looking at the comfortable Dwarf.

"Depends where you're going." He said, closing his eyes. "As long as you come back quickly, I don't give a damn." He smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere. I was just wondering how far I could push the boundaries." Thranduil smiled in return, closing his eyes and relaxing. "There's no where in Middle-Earth I'd rather be."

"Good." He muttered, curling into the elf happily. "Let's keep it that way, shall we?" He smiled, kissing Thranduil's chest and relaxed, drifting off in the king's arms.

Thranduil nodded, planting one last gentle kiss in the Dwarf's hair and pulling the blankets over them. "Goodnight." He said softly, drifting off himself.

-oOo-  
Thanks for reading,  
Tam and Tanith.


	27. The Return of the King

Kili slowly opened his eyes to find himself looking into a chest, with a pair of arms wrapped around him securely. He looked up at Thranduil, taking in the sight of his face without the worry creases, admiring the peacefulness that had taken over his face. He turned over, wincing as he moved. _**Should have prepared you.** Sod off and go back to sleep._

Stirring slightly, Thranduil nuzzled his face into Kili's neck, tightening his arms a little check that he was definitely there. He nodded gently and smiled. "Good." He was unaware that he had said that aloud, drifting between consciousness and sleep.

Kili hummed in reply, nuzzling the arm he was using for a pillow. he pulled the covers up around him more and started to drift back to sleep.

Thranduil moved his arm from underneath Kili as he turned around to try to sleep again, only to have the limp ligament smack him in the face. He had lost control from where Kili had been lying on it and he let out a burst of laughter. He turned around completely this time.

Kili moaned at the loss of his arm pillow, and shuffled up the bed to rest his head on the actual pillow. He pulled the cover around him and snuggled into Thranduil's side, throwing an arm around Thranduil's chest.

Forgetting his independent body part,Thranduil subconsciously went to put his arm around Kili again, this time hitting _him_ in the face. "Oh, I'm sorry..." He said wearily.

Kili hummed a reply, not awake enough to say anything. He curled into Thranduil's body, seeking warmth and comfort, while slowly opening his eyes again.

Thranduil smiled and locked his legs with Kili's, bringing him closer. He engulfed him in his arms. "Good way to start the morning." He chuckled drowsily, watching as Kili slowly adjusted to the day.

Kili chuckled at that and smiled up at the elf. "'Morning," he said lazily, happy not to move around as long as he didn't have to budge from Thranduil's grip.

"It is. A wonderful morning." Thranduil smiled, letting his gaze travel to the window and the drizzling rain that lay beyond. He laced his hand into Kili's and sighed happily.

"Can I sleep through this wonderful morning?" He smiled, closing his eyes again. _**Don't go to sleep idiot!** Oh you're still around then._

"If you really want to." Thranduil said nonchalantly and kissed Kili gently on the head, turning away from him.

Kili opened his eyes, and tapped Thranduil's shoulder gently. "Hang on, get back over here elfy." He said slowly

Thranduil shook his head into the pillow and smiled. "I don't want to suffocate you if you feel like sleeping. And yes, I have pointy ears. I rather like them."

"I don't care, get back over here." He said, nudging him with his foot. "Okay pointy, I can roll with that.' He said.

Laughing against the pillow, Thranduil rolled back around to meet Kili's gaze. Memories began to flood back as he did. "Last night..." He smiled, growing red in the face.

"Yes, well.. Yes." He chuckled, tapping his forehead against Thranduil's lightly and then placed a kiss on the elf's flushed cheek.

Thranduil's ears twitched a little as he leaned into Kili's touch. "It was good." He draped an arm over the Dwarf before breathlessly adding; "Really good."

Kili smiled and shuffled closer to the elf, wincing slightly as he moved. "I agree." He smiled, "I enjoyed it anyway."

"Are you okay?" He asked with a little concern before realising the issue. "Oh, no..." He began, rubbing his eyes and holding a palm to his face.

"I'm alright, don't worry about it." He reassured him, pulling his hand away from his face and tapped his head against his again. "I've had worse." He smiled.

Thranduil sighed with relief. "You have...had others, then?" He smiled dreamily. He fixed his sapphire eyes on Kili's before kissing him chastely.

"Not in the way you had me. I've been with others, but never like that." He said after returning the kiss.

A certain anxiety passed over the Elf's features again. "So I...was your first?" He asked nervously, biting his lip.

"Yes." He said, nuzzing his face into the pillow, closing his eyes. "Problem?"

"I just feel a little bad, for taking that from you." Thranduil sighed as he did the same, platinum hair pooled around him. "I didn't even consider that." His voice was muffled by the pillow.

"Don't you dare say that. I didn't stop you at the time, did I?" He frowned, nudging the king's leg with his foot. "So don't even think about pulling the guilty card."

Nodding the best that he could, Thranduil began to speak again. "I've only one thing to ask of you." He said with certainty, poking Kili in the stomach.

Sucking in his gut when Thranduil poked it, Kili quirked an eyebrow, opening his eyes to look at the king. "Okay? Shoot."

Thranduil inhaled deeply, turning so he could face Kili. "This is kind of difficult for me to say in that I've bottled up my emotions for so long and I've learned how to deal with them. If we're doing this, I want to make sure it's serious. Elves can die of heartbreak. All I ask of you is that you don't ever tell me that you regret this. It would break me." He sighed. He had done that thing again, where his feelings tumbled out of his mouth like a wad of iron and he could breath again. It was therapeutic.

"Of all the stupid things I've heard you say, that is definitely the worst. You, Thranduil, are a class A idiot if you even think that I'm going to do this on a one off. Dwarves only love once you sodding idiot! I'm not going to do this on a whim. I am also definitely not going to regret this." He said, rolling his eyes. "Sodding idiot." He muttered.

"I didn't mean you would." Thranduil began, opening and closing his mouth a few times as a result of not being to find the right words. "You know, I'm sorry." He sighed, rolling over so he didn't have to face the humiliation. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Kili sighed and threw his arm around Thranduil. "It's fine," he said, "I know what you meant. It's good to be careful I guess." He soothed. "I took no offence, just a bit shocked."

"No. Forget it." Thranduil grunted, completely pitying himself and curling into himself. "I just wanted to make sure. I...happiness terrifies me. I know it'll end in something terrible. He sighed before adding;"And it's just a matter time."

Kili moved away from Thranduil to turn him over. He sat, straddling Thranduil's chest and looked down at him. "Happiness can be good, I think that this is for the better. You should give yourself a chance. Now stop being silly and relax a bit."

Nodding again, Thranduil gulped and relaxed. "Okay." He lied. "I will." He held Kili's waist with both hands. "I'm in like with you." He chuckled, sitting up to touch his head to Kili's.

Kili chuckled at this, knocking their heads together. "Alright, I'll believe you. And you're in like with me?" He teased, wrapping his arms around the King's neck.

"Well...the uh...other thing." Thranduil smiled awkwardly. He wrapped his arms around Kili's waist and smiled. "There is another thing the council was talking about. About the Orc raids..." Thranduil trailed off.

"Love you too pointy." He chuckled, kissing him chastely.. "Orc raids? What's going on?" He asked, smile fading a bit.

"It's not too serious." Thranduil lied again. "Just a few Orcs, maybe a couple of dozens. I have to take a few men to hunt them all out." What the Elvenking had really wanted to say was 'Very serious' and 'There's an off chance I may not return as my kingdom is in ruins.' He concealed this with a smile as he gazed at Kili.

"How many's a 'few'?" He asked, worried. He had been on patrols around Erebor for orc packs, and they never went well. There was always casualties. "When are you leaving?"

"A few weeks yet." Thranduil soothed, caressing Kili's back. "And not many. A few. Maybe three, four hundred." He mumbled the last part, averting Kili's gaze.

"And that's not too serious?! I'd hate to see your definition of serious if that's the case!" He said shocked. "If you get yourself killed, I will get Gandalf to bring you back then kill you myself!"

"I won't die." Thranduil said softly. "It's as if you have no faith in me." He chuckled, combing some stray hair from Kili's eyes. "I may get stabbed in the shoulder, but nothing Elrindir can't handle."

"I have faith in you, I just want you to come back in one piece." He said, burying his face in the Elf's neck. "Elves... Think they're bloody invincible. Then there's that arsehole... Obviously knows nothing about medicine... Can't even put a salve on a wound without it being done wrong." He muttered, tightening his arms.

"You insulting my race isn't going to prevent me from protecting the kingdom." Thranduil sighed, weaving a hand into Kili's thick hair. "I don't think I'm invincible, if you must know. I just don't want you to worry."

""Of course I'm going to worry. You're basically going to war." He muttered, before shooting his head up to look at him. "Can I come with you?" He asked hopefully. _If I can be there with him, maybe he'll be okay.. **Not likely.** Oh _good_, you're still here._

"Out of the question." Thranduil said bluntly. "I would hate myself if I let anything happen to you. Not only that, imagine what would happen in Erebor if they found out I 'let' you go to war with me." He continued to stroke Kili's hair as he spoke softly to him.

"So I'm to stay here worrying about you and your life? What if I never see you again?" He protested, "It's my decision, if Erebor doesn't like it, they can go to Mordor."

"Aw, someone cares." The Elvenking chuckled. "You will see me again. I promise. I refuse to let it end like that." He smiled sweetly and pressed his lips to Kili's.

Kili pulled away from the kiss and shook his head. "Of course someone cares! I wouldn't be here if I didn't." he said quietly.

"Settle down. You think I would let you come along if _I_ didn't care?" Thranduil noted the deep concern in Kili's eyes and went to kiss him again. "What do you have against Elrindir, anyway?" He pulled away, smirking.

"Still..." He muttered. "I don't have anything against Elrindir, only that he made a complete hash of repairing your wound." He said, moving to kiss Thranduil again.

"He's a wonderful healer! He didn't make a hash of it!" Thranduil said with a grin, resisting Kili. "It's completely healed now." _Damn Dwarf questioning my best friend's methods._

"Oh please, you were screaming in pain!" He teased. "I don't doubt he is a wonderful healer, but that wasn't one of his best." he smirked.

"It was a deep wound. There was no other way he could have done it. He's my best friend, I grew up with him." Thranduil explained, delivering a few kisses to Kili's lips upon finishing.

Kili rolled his eyes and smiled at Thranduil. "Okay then, fair enough." He smirked. _**Ha. He was friendzoned.** Shh._

"Good." Thranduil smiled, planting a kiss on his head. "Oh, my bird's here!" He said cheerfully as he let his gaze travel to the window. He moved from under Kili, opening the window to let the dove in. "This one doesn't talk." He smiled, stroking the bird's head gently and taking the message from it. He began to read, expression gathering excitement. "You are not going to believe this." He stuttered.

Kili groaned as Thranduil moved, placing him on the cold bed covers. "Where can I get some of those? I swear ravens are Orcs in disguise." He grumbled, looking over at Thranduil. "What does it say?"

Thranduil read the letter over a few times, grin broadening. "Thorin... _welcomed_ them. It's from Legolas. It says 'He welcomed us with some hostility.' This...this is brilliant!" He said excitedly, handing the letter to Kili.

Kili read over the letter, grinning at the words. "Thank Aulë, he actually _can_ keep his temper in check." He smiled in disbelief.

"I wish there was a way I could talk to Legolas directly. Find out the details." Thranduil smiled at Kili for a moment before going to find his clothes. "Does it actually say 'welcomed', or did I make it up?" He asked joyfully, slipping into his breeches.

"It says welcomed." Kili grinned, looking over at Thranduil. "Look outside and see if there's an annoyed looking raven coming towards us because this is just too good to be true." He chuckled.

Thranduil did as commanded after he had put on his boots and walked to the window. "Nope. No bird." He said with a chuckle, leaning out of the window. The rain had stopped. "Well there's a nice bit of pathetic fallacy for you." He mumbled to himself as he inhaled the scent of churned earth.

"Thank Mahal." Kili chuckled, looking over at Thranduil, admiring his, unfortunately clothed, figure. "I suppose I have to get dressed now then." He sighed.

"Well, I'm not ready to put my shirt on yet, if that helps." Thranduil chuckled, leaning further out of the window. "I want to see Falaroy at some point today." He pushed himself a little further, so he was balancing on his stomach with his legs barely touching the ground.

"It's get dressed or go back to sleep. I think I'll take the former thanks." He said, pushing himself up and off the bed. "As much as it pains me to have to do it." He said, not realising how true the statement was until he said it. "Oh no, sorry! I didn't mean it like that!"

Quirking a brow, Thranduil tripped a little and steadied himself, coming to the realisation that hanging out of the window like a mischievous Elfling probably wasn't the most responsible thing to be doing. He came back in a little so both feet were on the ground. "Like what, what do you mean?" He asked with amusement. "Why would I take offense to you not wanting to get dressed?"

Kili looked up at the king, relieved that he missed the accidental reference to his arse. He hobbled over to the draws to find a new pair of hoes and pulled them and a linen shirt on. "Nothing, don't worry about it." He smiled.

"Aha, I get it." Thranduil chuckled after staring into space for some time. "I'm sorry about that." He smiled, leaning out of the window again and this time actually taking in the view instead of being childish.

"Don't you dare feel even remotely sorry for that." He warned him. "We've already had this conversation, I don't want to go through it again." He sighed, walking over to Thranduil and put his arms around his waist.

"I don't regret doing it. I'm just sorry for bringing you pain. I should have done something to ease it." Thranduil smiled as he felt Kili's arms snake around him. He held the Dwarf's arms. "So, that's something with Thorin. Perhaps things will work themselves out."

"It's fine, trust me. I have a good feeling that I would be hobbling anyway, even if you did." He said, resting his head on the Elf's back. "With any luck, yes. Perhaps it wasn't so much of a suicide mission after all. I'll have to write to Bilbo to thank him."

"I'll still commit it to memory. Maybe we could try something else next time." He smiled at the thought and flipped his hair over his shoulder. "And you should do that. Bilbo seems like a wise character."

"I look forward to it." He smirked, wrinkling his nose as Thranduil's hair tickled it. _**Tell him that I said no problem**. Not you, idiot. You just have Bilbo's voice, besides, weren't you leaving? **No...** Shame._ "I will tell him that next time I write to him." He smiled.

"I'm glad. Though I doubt it would mean much for him to know what I think." Thranduil sighed. "Though it might. He seems to be the one with sense in Erebor. My son could be drowning in his own blood were it not for him. I owe him a great debt. I'll personally let him now that." He smiled and turned to face Kili, using one arm to support himself against the window pane and the other to drag a finger gently across what was exposed of Kili's chest.

"It will. He's a hobbit, he accepts praise." He smiled, keeping his arms wrapped around Thranduil. "I doubt that Thorin would have killed him though, he's not stupid enough to do that... I hope." He said, raising his chin as Thranduil's finger dragged across his chest.

Thranduil briefly considered lifting the Dwarf up in his arms to his height, before recalling Kili's fear of heights and just decided to lean down to kiss him gently. "I couldn't resist." He said quietly as he pulled away. "And I know that Thorin has sense. He built a whole new home for your people when Smaug attacked. He's just a little...hot headed.

"I'm not complaining." Kili smirked, considering pulling Thranduil down for another kiss, but decided against it. "He might have sense enough to rebuild a home, but he hasn't got enough sense to forgive and forget, only enough to do the opposite. And that doesn't take very much at all." He said, pulling away from Thranduil.

As a first reaction, Thranduil tightened his arms around Kili to keep him there, then he realised how needy that was and released him. "Sorry about that." He laughed, turning to face the window again. That nagging feeling was back, but now it was regarding the Orc raids. "He's a good man." Thranduil shrugged, keeping to himself after that.

Kili smiled at the Elf, who had turned his back. He rolled his eyes and walked over to where Thranduil's clothes were neatly folded. Picking up Thranduil's shirt, he threw it over to him, making it land on the elf's head. Ignoring all pain as Thranduil chuckled whilst pulling on his shirt, Kili ran over to the king and jumped onto his back, arms clinging to his neck and legs wrapped around the king's body. "Onward to the Idiot council or Falaroy, whichever comes first!" He announced, pointing towards the door.

Just managing to catch Kili, Thranduil yelped out of shock before crying meekly "My chambers to get my council robes and crown and then to the idiot council! I'm not carrying you there though." He chuckled, walking to the bed and throwing Kili off him and onto it.

"Aww, please Pointy? My arse hurts." He smirked up at him. "It's a long way to your chamber and then the throne room. I'm not sure I could take it."

"I am not carrying you to the throne room, Kili Durin. You'll just have to walk it off." Thranduil said sternly, before cracking a smile. "Should have thought of the consequences before you agreed to the action." And with that he had walked through the door and closed it, waiting to see if Kili would follow him.

"Nâbur hyubûr gimizhâl." Kili muttered, rolling off of the bed and onto the floor before walking to the door. "Elves." He breathed, opening the door and running after Thranduil. "Nâbur! Wait up!"

Thranduil smirked as he briefly considered speeding up a little. "Come on little legs, I'm not that far ahead." He chuckled, resuming his pace.

"Dwarves are made for long distances, not sprinting!" He muttered to himself. _Batfink over there would have heard you anyway._ "Oh come on Nâbur. At least slow down a little."

Reluctantly, Thranduil slowed his pace a little. He felt uncomfortable walking slowly. It wasn't in his nature as an Elf. "What does Nâbur mean?" He asked curiously, as Kili caught up to him. _Mental note - learn some Khûzdul _

Kili chuckled to himself, running up to walk next to Thranduil. "Nâbur? Oh that's your new nickname. I told you I'd think of one." He laughed. "You can quicken your pace now, I just wanted to catch up with you." Kili said, noting the Elf's discomfort.

"Yes, but what does it mean?" He smiled, clasping his hands behind his back and glancing at Kili with a graceful smile. "This pace is good for me." He said gently.

"If it's not, I can speed up" he offered, quickening his pace slightly. "Oh, it means Pointy." He smirked, moving what he hoped was far enough to be out of the elf's arm span.

"You put so much importance on race." Thranduil sighed, shaking his head and smiling fondly. "I don't want to see the council." He groaned, remembering why he was making the journey to his chambers.

"I thought it was appropriate. I can hardly call you eyebrows, can I." He smirked. "And you don't have to, I'm going to go shout at them." He said confidently.

"My mother was dark haired, my father was blonde. It was an unfortunate combination that lead me to have a prominent brow." Thranduil muttered with a little seriousness. "And you can't just stand up and shout. You will have to know your place. You will be there as a spectator." He said sternly. He made the turning to his chambers and unlocked the door, gesturing for Kili to make his way in first.

Kili walked into the room, moving to sit on the bed. "I know, I'm going to sit there and fume, while you argue with them. Make sure to tell the idiots that it was my fault about the fountain and that you should not be held responsible." He instructed.

"No. I didn't tell you the whole reason for the re-possession of Falaroy, as it were." Thranduil began, searching for his crown to find that it had been placed back on the stand. _Huh..._ He took the cursed headdress and shrugged it's placement off. "Prepare yourself, because I can see you wanting to kill the wankers straight away." He threw himself on the bed, landing on his back. "After they pushed me to conclude that it would be best to go to war with the Orcs, they_ then_ told me that Falaroy needs a Father figure, and I can't be away fighting if I need to take care of him, so a more 'suitable' family with less 'responsibility' must be sought." He huffed.

Kili scowled at the thought of the manipulating Elves that made up the council. He fought down the urge to kill something and thought about the situation logically. "If... If you're going to go to war with the orcs, and I'm staying behind because you refuse to let me go.." He said sitting down on the bed, "I am old enough to take care of a child in my culture. Propose that I will take care of him. Is that reasonable?"

Sighing and rubbing his eyes, Thranduil sat up against the headboard and tugged Kili's arm in an attempt to get him closer. "I don't know. I couldn't exactly say, 'By the way, I'm in love with one of the Durin brothers and he'll look after the kid.'" He mused.

Kili shuffled closer, tucking himself under Thranduil's arm. "No, but you could say trusted friend which I have known for years. Dishonesty is the best policy in this type of politics." He said, nuzzling his face into the Elf's side before moving his head again. "You need a bath Nâbur."

Thranduil took his hair and felt it for grease. _Ooh, that's bad._ "Well maybe we could take one tonight." Thranduil had said what he said before realising it. He blushed, tucking the hair behind his ear and staring ahead.

Kili looked up at Thranduil and chuckled. "I look forward to it." He chuckled, moving his gaze to Thranduil's hair. "What have you done to the braids this time?" He exclaimed, getting up and pushed the elf forwards to stand behind him. He pulled the Elf back so he was comfortable and undid the clasps and the braid.

"What, nothing. They were there, and...oh." Thranduil realised that braids had become loose already. "Don't worry about re-doing it. My hair just rejects braids by the looks of it." He smiled, taking Kili's hand and kissing it. He moved from the bed to search for his council robe lazily.

Kili frowned and slunk down to the bed. "Can I at least get it out of your eyes, nothing flamboyant, just practical." He said, watching Thranduil potter about the room.

"Not now, A' maelamin." said with a smile as he found the robe on it's hanger. _Okay, this _never_ happens. Has Legolas been home or something?_ Again, he shrugged it off and began to fully dress himself.

"A' maelamin? What does that mean?" He asked, watching Thranduil shrug the robes on. _Evish..._

"Something a little nicer than 'Pointy.'" Thranduil chuckled as he laced the robe up completely. Plucking a wooden brush from the side, he ran it through his hair a few times before placing the lavish crown on his head and sighing with disgust.

"Git. Nâbur suits you. Anyway what does it mean?" He asked, Placing his hands behind his head. "Why don't you just get a new one if you really hate that one."

"It means 'beloved', or, 'my beloved.' Take your pick." Thranduil smiled, looking at his ears in the mirror. _Pointy enough. Valar, that boy picks at things._ "It's not that simple. This crown has been in the family for generations. Legolas will have to wear it when I pass. It would suit him more, I feel." He said, checking around to see if there was any other ceremonious garb he'd missed.

Kili smiled over at Thranduil, rolling his eyes at the stubborn king. "Whatever you say âzyung. But sometimes tradition isn't always the way forward." He said slowly, as he imagined Legolas in the crown and tried not to laugh.

"I know that. _They_ don't." Thranduil sighed. He straightened himself out and checked his teeth, still making sure that every little detail was perfect to delay the moment he would have to meet with the council. "Âzyung? What's this, now?" He asked nonchalantly.

"How long have they been on the council for?" He asked, swinging his legs off the bed and walked over to the dresser. "You look fine Nâbur. Now, go knock them dead. Literally if you have to." He said, walking to the door.

Thranduil took hold of Kili's hand and lightly squeezed it. "Come." He smiled, gesturing for Kili to leave first. **_Ever the gentleman..._** Slowly, he made his way to the throne room with Kili in tow.

"So, I'm allowed to glare at them, but not to speak?" He asked, walking quickly to match Thranduil's strides. _Long legs don't do well with short legs, Long legs really don't do well with short legs._

"Please hold your tongue, Kili." Thranduil asked sincerely. "I really want this to work." He sighed and stopped, leaning against the wall. "And I _really_ don't want to go there."

"I won't say anything. Promise. It's your council Âzyung, I'll follow your rules." He said, standing in front of Thranduil. "You have to go in there and try to fight for Falaroy. Do anything you can. They're your subjects and just there to advise you. You _do_ have power over them and they need to remember that."

"Thank you." Thranduil said bravely, nodding. "I think I can do this." He leaned down to kiss Kili softly. "For luck." He whispered, before nodding again and pulling away, and continuing to walk. "And you'd better tell me what Âzyung means soon." He said over his shoulder with a smirk.

"Whatever you say mizimul." He smiled, walking behind Thranduil at a suitable distance, pulling himself to his full height. "If your lucky, I might." He chuckled.

"Stop calling me things I don't understand!" Thranduil yelled playfully, flicking Kili on the forehead. "I call you one thing, you go Khuzdul manic on me." He chuckled, mentally preparing an Elvish phrase to throw at the Dwarf.

"Okay, sanzigil." He chuckled, poking Thranduil's arm in retaliation. "I haven't gone Khuzdul manic, sanzharm. I'm using everyday words." he said, laughing at the King's expression. "Where is this council being held, anyway?"

"Gellon ned i galar i chent gîn ned i gladhog." Thranduil said sweetly, taking in the Dwarf's rich and warm laugh before shaking himself of this Kili-induced trance. "Not so great, is it? And in the throne room. Where I sit on my throne. And govern Mirkwood." He said this more as clarification to himself, working up the courage to take his place truly as King, and not as the wavering monarch he had become over the past centuries.

"What? Listening to you speak elvish is wonderful. And the throne room? Right." He said, preparing himself to stand on the ridiculously high platform. He shook his head as Thranduil reassured himself. "You'll be fine. You just can't let them walk all over you."

"Wonderful? You don't know what I said." Thranduil smiled, face falling as they approached the main hall. "I won't. I can't. For Falaroy." He entered the hall gracefully, addressing the council members with a nod and sweeping down the pathway.

-oOo-  
mizimul - Jewel  
sanzigil - Mithril  
sanzharm - Perfect Hair  
Gellon ned i galar i chent gîn ned i gladhog - I love to see your eyes shine when you laugh

You might have to wait a week or two for an update though, depending on how well collage goes and if this cold budges, so my apologies for that.

Thanks for reading  
Tanith and Tam


	28. This is the End

_This is the end,_

_Hold your breath and count _to_ ten,_

_Feel the earth move and then,_

_Hear m__y heart burst again..._

* * *

Thranduil entered the throne room and started down the pathway with Kili in tow. Holding his head high, he addressed the council members with a nod as the talking stopped briefly, picking up again soon after.

"It's the way you say it all. I don't care if I can't understand elvish." Kili muttered so that only Thranduil could hear. Well that's what he hoped. He followed him down the pathway, making sure not to look down. It wasn't the heights, it was the falling. There was no one to catch him.

Taking his seat on the lavish throne and trying not to smile at Kili's remark, Thranduil cleared his throat and gestured for Kili to sit on one also extravagant benches either side of the throne. Kili sat and glared at the surrounding elves, folding his arms and crossing his legs.

"Why are we here? We didn't call a meeting today." One said, glaring at the king. There was a murmuring of agreement.

"I did." Thranduil said sternly, glaring in the return of a king. His icy eyes fell from one Elf to the other, daring them to speak before continuing. "It is concerning the matter of Falaroy."

"Oh not again." An old elf said, groaning at the statement.

"We've already told you about this. You're going to go to war with the orcs. You cannot provide a stable family environment." Another sighed.

"Last I checked, Thranduil sat on this throne, not you. Now you will abide by your King or I will have you sent to Imladris." Thranduil commanded, again, daring the others to object. _**Ha. No love for Elrond. ** Don't. This is serious._ "This is what will happen. Kili here is far old enough to take care of the Elfling himself. He is a trusted friend and he will provide a stable family environment. A bed will be made for Falaroy immediately and he will be given a room of his own. Understood?"

Mutterings of protest and a few exclamations of 'look who's got a backbone' rung around the room, with one pearl of laughter at the older elves look of shock came from the youngest in the crowd. Kili smirked as his gaze sweeped the room. One elf stood up to address Thranduil seriously.

"We cannot allow this... Dwarf to look after Falaroy! He is not even one of our own kind, let alone able to look after himself. That's why he's here, is it not?" the third speaker announced to a murmur of agreement. Kili rolled his eyes, but held his tongue.

Thranduil attempted to get off his throne to address the Elves truly, before realising he physically couldn't. **Oh, convenient.** "He is here as a guest and you will treat him as such. Regardless of race, he is a responsible young man with his head set on straight, much more than I can say for you, disregarding your King's opinion like this!" He bellowed, catching every Elf's attention, even Daeron's. _Oh, double great. That bastard's not even a member!_ "Need I remind you that you are merely here to advise me. I have the power to make the decisions and I will do so."

The council went quiet as they regarded the King. The youngest stood up at the other council member sat down. "The council recognises the King's decision, and supports it." He said, glaring at anyone that opened their mouth to speak. "The Dwarf_ Prince_ Kili will take care of the Child Falaroy whist The King is away." He said, smiling at Kili, before turning to the King. "Welcome back." the red-head nodded, turning to follow the rest of the council out of the chamber.

Smiling to himself, Thranduil thanked the Elf with a nod. He stayed completely still until every last member of the council had shuffled out and left only he and Kili, and then groaned.

Kili burst into laughter at the mortified look on Thranduil's face as the king moved his hands to try and untangle his crown. "You did great, âzyung." He smiled, moving from the bench to climb up onto Thranduil's lap. He batted the elf's hands away from the crown and moved the branches to release his head.

"I hate this crown!" He yelled, taking the thing and throwing it. He watched with a look of shock and horror as it plummeted into the depths of the throne room. "Oh. Well that's gone." He smiled, facing Kili. "Do I get to find out what Âzyung means now?"

"Hmm. Perhaps." He smirked, watching the crown fall. "How far down does that go?" He asked, wrapping his arms in Thranduil's robes.

Smirking triumphantly, Thranduil cried "Too damn far to be retrieved, that's for certain!" and wrapped both arms around Kili. "You're never going to tell me, are you?" He muttered.

"When I feel like it." He smirked, tapping his forehead against Thranduil's. "You're really happy about loosing it, aren't you?" He laughed.

"You would be too." Thranduil smiled, looking into Kili's eyes. "Is there anyway I could make you feel like it?" He said silkily, smile working it's way into a smirk.

"Probably would, especially if it was catching on multiple things." He chuckled. He smirked and moved his legs from under him. "There probably is, yes." He smirked.

"Well," Thranduil smiled, tightening his arms to bring the Dwarf closer. "Do I have to figure it out for myself?" He leaned in to Kiss Kili, before being cut off.

"Well, well, well, 'Trusted friend'" A smug Daeron emerged from behind a pillar with a smirk."I wonder what the council would make of this."

Kili spun around to look at Daeron. "Oh not you again." He muttered. He moved out of Thranduil's arms, and jumped off of the Elf's lap. "What do you want this time?" He snapped, putting himself in-between the two Elves, throwing a glare to his lover to warn him to stay out of this.

Thranduil paid no heed to the look in Kili's eye, speaking authoritatively. "Enough, Daeron. What is your business here?" He asked with a flouncy gesture of his wrist.

"I'm just passing through, and decided to come and see how a council meeting was held. I must say, you hold some authority, but you need to get them in line." He told Thranduil shortly, before turning back to Kili. "So then. Trusted friend? Is friend another word for fuck buddies?"

"It's not and you know it. You have two options available to you. One is leave now and never come near us again, the other is I kill you now. Take your pick."

"Intercourse associates then." Daeron smirked, stepping closer to Kili. "I'll take neither if it's all the same to you."

_**If he takes one more step... **__Shh...I want to see if he's actually going to hit on him._ Thranduil fumed silently, growing angrier at the suggestion of 'Fuck buddies.' The icy glare returned and he folded his arms, ready to act if necessary.

"Neither are we 'intercourse associates' thank you." Kili said sternly, standing his ground. "Take one more step, you are going to learn how to fly. I assume you'll have to come down at some point, though I don't know how far down that cavern goes."

"You wouldn't do that to little old me, would you?" He said, placing a hand on his chest.

"Try me."

"I hate you." Thranduil spat, unable to control himself. "I hate you, I hate your smug demeanour, I hate the way you challenge me as if you're some kind of god, and I hate your face." He seethed, expression adopting revulsion.

"Thranduil, let the fair game speak. Which one of us would you want?" He asked, stepping closer, smirking at The king.

_That is it. __**THAT'S MY KI', CRUSH HIM!**_ Kili pulled out a dagger which hang on a pendant around his neck (A present from Fili, put to good use. Shame to loose it.) And threw it at the bard in one fluid movement. It struck the elf's shoulder, making the bard growl and run at Kili. Kili moved his foot to make his balance stronger, taking the hit, but was taken down by the larger body. The two rolled around on the floor, getting ever closer to the edge, biting, scratching and clawing at wherever they could get their hands on. All of a sudden, Kili cried out, realising he was right next to the edge. "And down we go. It's a shame, you were rather pretty." Daeron said as Kili squirmed, and rolled the dwarf off of the edge. Realising in horror at the last minute that he had moved too far, Daeron went over too with a scream.

-oOo-  
Author's note:  
I thought I should explain to you why we chose to use the name Daeron.  
Daeron was the loremaster and minstrel of King Thingol of Doriath. He was also a skilled linguist, and invented the Cirth alphabet. Daeron loved Lùthien, daughter of Thingol and Melian the Maia, but she did not love him. Nevertheless they were good friends, and Lúthien would often dance to his music. After Daeron found out about Lúthien's love for the mortal Beren, he betrayed them both to Thingol. When Lúthien later sought his help in freeing Beren who was held captive by Morgoth, Daeron again betrayed her to Thingol. After Lúthien departed in secret from Doriath, Daeron repented, and set out to search for her. He never did find her and never returned to Doriath either, passing over the Erid Luin into Eriador where he apparently dwelt long after writing songs lamenting over the loss of Lúthien.

Thanks for reading,

Tanith and Tam


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